&        gX-V- *£ 

s  iuEi 

5    S  vh-r^^ 


^lOS-ANI 
o     ^   -"^ 

T        S 

C?      — 


t  4- 

TflHBNI 

AvlOS-AM 

,T^      , 


THE   WOMAN   OF   THE    HILL 


The  Woman 
of   the   Hill 


BY 

UNE   CIRCASSIENE" 


With    a  frontispiece   in    half-ton 


NEW  YORK 

BRENTANO'S 


Stack 
Annex 

S" 
O 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 


CHAPTER  I 

ON  the  Asiatic  side  of  the  Bosphorus,  near 
the  village  of  Anatolou-Hissar,  the  immense 
villa  of  Cheik-ul-Islam  was  falling  slowly 
into  ruins.  For  nearly  a  century  its  dazzling 
whiteness  had  been  reflected  in  the  blue 
waters ;  and  one  brilliant  sunny  day,  quite 
suddenly,  the  white  marble  quay  at  the 
villa's  base  sank  and  crumbled,  leaving  in 
the  waters  a  large  white  stain. 

In  the  vast  rooms  of  wonderful  pro- 
portions and  pure  lines  the  heavy  autumn 
rains  dripped  through  the  delicately-painted 

5 


6  THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

ceilings,  leaving  grey  stains  on  the  delicate 
rose-coloured  grounds,  where  a  simple- 
minded  artist  had  painted,  with  the  calm 
assurance  of  his  trade,  wonderful  trees  and 
improbable  birds. 

Above  the  villa,  like  a  giant's  staircase, 
were  the  hanging  gardens,  climbing  in  end- 
less terraces  to  the  summit  of  the  green 
hill. 

Sometimes,  quite  suddenly,  one  of  these 
walls  would  collapse,  crumbling  noisily,  and 
rolling  down,  echoing  like  a  storm  among 
the  hills.  For  a  moment  the  family  and 
slaves  of  the  Cheik-ul-Islam,  seized  with  an 
instinctive  dread  of  the  future,  would  listen 
attentively  to  the  dull  menacing  sound,  then 
the  carelessness  and  habitual  resignation 
of  the  Turkish  character  would  calm  their 
terror,  and,  looking  at  each  other,  they  would 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL  7 

smilingly  say,  "As  long  as  we  have  life, 
what  else  matters  ?  " 

Indeed  it  was  clear  that  little  else  did 
matter,  or  at  least  very  little ;  for  all  was 
falling  into  ruin  around  them,  whilst  no 
one  thought  of  giving  the  necessary  orders 
for  reparations,  which  would  preserve  so 
splendid  a  domain. 

What  was  the  use  of  interfering  in  the 
fatal  order  of  things? 


CHAPTER  II 

WHEN  one  was  admitted  for  the  first  time 
into  the  presence  of  the  Cheik-ul-Islaiu, 
chief  of  the  Musulman  religion,  one  was 
struck  dumb  by  his  magnificent  and  stately 
appearance,  which  reminded  one  so  strongly 
of  what  one  had  read  of  those,  described  in 
the  sacred  books. 

The  pure  whiteness  of  his  turban,  beard 
and  garments  made  so  harmonious  a  whole 
that  it  filled  with  respect  the  hearts  of  the 
poor  and  unhappy  people  who  came  to 
receive  his  charities. 

They  kissed  his  hands  fervently,  holding 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HTLL  9 

them  long  to  their  lips,  and  looking  on  him 
with  a  sort  of  religious  veneration ;  they 
understood  how  full  of  goodness  was  his 
gentle  heart  and  the  pure  kindness  that 
shone  in  his  fine  eyes. 

They  knew  how  really  great  was  his 
tenderness  for  all  sufferers,  whilst  his  own 
life  had  always  been,  and  remained,  pure 
as  one  of  the  flowers  on  the  sacred  hills ; 
and  that  in  the  soft  dusk,  when  the  hour 
was  neither  of  day  or  night,  he  prayed  for 
them,  calling  on  God  to  look  tenderly  on 
their  sufferings.  Having  lost  his  wife 
after  the  birth  of  his  daughter  Adile, 
Cheik-ul-Islam  begged  his  sister  Adevie- 
hanem-efiendi  to  come  and  live  with  him  ; 
she  being  a  widow  and  poor,  had  till  that 
time  lived  quietly  at  Damascus. 

Without   a   moment's   hesitation,  at   his 


10          THE  WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL 

first  summons  she  started  with  her  daughter 
Emine,  and  a  slave,  by  name  Alice, 
reaching  his  house  one  morning  as  the 
roses  were  shedding  their  petals  at  the  first 
breath  of  Autumn. 

She  kissed  his  hand  humbly,  as  is  the 
custom,  and  having  had  her  rooms  pointed 
out  to  her,  undid  her  various  parcels  and 
established  herself  for  good  and  all  in  the 
villa  Anatolou-Hissar.  She  set  courage- 
ously to  work  to  manage  her  brother's  house, 
which  seemed  to  her  to  be  given  up  to  the 
most  complete  disorder. 

Notwithstanding  all  her  efforts  to  make 
him  help  her,  and  take  some  interest  in  the 
remarkable  accounts  which  the  steward  of  the 
Selamlec 1  brought  to  her,  she  quickly  saw 
that,  apart  from  her  brother's  duties  as  chief 

1  The  part  of  the  house  reserved  to  the  men. 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL  11 

of  religion,  he  was  incapable  of  occupying 
himself  in  any  way  with  the  most  ordinary 
details  of  life,  or  of  grasping  how  ruinous 
was  the  system  of  the  steward. 

He  listened  kindly  and  gently  to  all  she 
said,  and  seemed  to  be  profoundly  surprised 
at  discovering  such  disagreeable  things,  but 
would  not  admit  that  the  man  could  be 
dishonest. 

He  said  a  few  encouraging  and  kindly 
words  to  his  sister,  evidently  inspired  by 
the  serenity  of  his  pure,  great  soul.  They 
had  only  the  effect  of  making  her  leave  his 
presence  in  an  irritated  frame  of  mind,  and 
murmuring  rather  more  loudly  than  civilly, 
"I  don't  understand  a  word  of  what  you  are 
saying,  my  august  brother,  but  the  words  of 
saints  evidently  are  most  powerful  as  long  as 
they  are  incomprehensible.  God  be  praised." 


12  THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

Then,  stricken  with  remorse,  she  retraced 
her  steps,  and  having  respectfully  kissed  his 
hand,  betook  herself  to  her  own  room, 
round  three  sides  of  which  the  sea  sighed 
and  beat  day  and  night,  sometimes  softly, 
sometimes  loudly,  as  if  furious.  There, 
sitting  immovable  on  the  low  Turkish  sofa, 
with  her  eyes  fixed  dreamily  on  the  sea, 
she  put  her  cigarette  down  on  a  ledge  of 
one  of  the  many  windows,  and  turning 
towards  the  palace  of  the  Sultan,  she 
prayed  softly,  calling  the  blessings  of  God 
on  him  and  Cheik-ul- Islam. 

And  by  doing  that,  gradually  in  her 
heart  she  felt,  with  a  vas;uo  feeling  of 

7  O  O 

consolation,  that  at  least  as  long  as  there 
was  a  Sultan  and  a  Cheik-ul-Islam  the  earth 
would  still  tremble  with  joy. 

Later,  in  the  gathering  dusk,  when  night 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL          13 

unfolded  its  wings,  the  ruins  that  lay 
round  seemed  to  stand  out  the  more 
distinctly,  like  monstrous  skeletons  awaiting 
burial,  and  again  her  mind  became  un- 

7  O 

certain  and  burdened  with  vague  t distress. 

She  thought  with  horror  of  the  wave  of 
European  morals  and  customs  that  was 
sweeping  over  her  country,  even  to  the 
doors  of  the  house  that  she  governed,  and 
the  ill-concealed  leanings  of  her  niece  Adile, 
who  wished  openly  for  emancipation  and 
free  life  with  an  unveiled  face. 

"  Evidently,"  she  said,  half  aloud,  "  the 
devil  himself  is  in  the  air";  and  seized  with 
a  sudden  panic,  she  hid  her  face  in  her 
hands. 

As  is  invariably  the  custom  when  women 
are  gifted  with  intelligence  and  energy, 
they  gain  considerable  influence  over  their 


14          THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

immediate  surroundings,  and  the  Hanem- 
effendi  was  therefore  consulted  about  all 
the  affairs  of  the  harem,  the  Selamlec,  and 
the  village  of  Anatolou-Hissar.  Nothing 
was  settled  without  her  advice,  and 
naturally  cares  of  all  sorts  passed  over  her 
disturbed  mind,  bringing  anxiety  and 
unrest. 

Amongst  others,  a  strange  event  took 
place  that  gave  her  much  food  for  thought. 
The  preceding  day,  hidden  behind  a  curtain 
at  the  doorway  which  was  used  for  passing 
the  provisions  from  the  Selamlec  into  the 
harem,  beneath  a  large  spreading  arbutus 
tree,  she  listened  to  the  steward,  who  praised 
the  virtue  of  living  on  vegetables,  instead  of 
meat,  which  the  butcher  refused  to  give 
without  being  paid  for.  "When  quite 
suddenly  he  stopped,  and  with  a  great  air 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL          15 

of  outraged  modesty,  and  trembling  voice,  he 
said,  "  If  you  will  allow  me,  Effendim,  there 
is  also  another  question  that  I  wish  to 
submit  to  your  Excellency.  A  courtesan 
has  arrived  on  your  property,  and  sings 
aloud  of  her  charms  on  the  hill.  I  am 
ashamed  to  have  to  confess  to  you  that 
the  servants  of  the  Selamlec  go  up  there 
in  the  evening,  and  even  put  sprigs  of 
orange  blossom  in  their  hair  to  please 
her." 

"  It  is  incredible,"  said  the  lady,  aghast. 
"The  Turkish  courtesans  show  them- 
selves so  rarely,  that  I  fear  some  evil 
thing  must  be  coming  to  us.  1  beg 
you  will  notice  the  storks  are  even 
uneasy  on  the  roofs  where  they  have 
their  nests.  Evidently  misfortunes  are 
in  the  air." 


16  THE   WOMAN    OF  THE   HILL 

"  But  why  not  drive  her  away  ? "  asked 
the  Hanem-effendi. 

"  If  she  has  come,  it  is  because  she 
is  necessary,"  answered  the  wise  steward. 
"  She  travels  from  a  great  distance  with 
the  shepherds  who  come  to  join  the 
keepers  of  the  property  of  your  Excellencies. 
I  have  been  told  she  has  already  been 
here  before,  some  years  ago,  but  that 
then  she  did  not  know  how  to  sing.  Her 
face  and  body  are  miracles  of  beauty — 
she  washes  herself  three  times  a  day 
and  scents  herself  with  the  odour  of 
herbs  of  which  she  alone  has  the  secret. 
Ought  we  not,  perhaps,  to  resign  ourselves 
to  fate  and  let  her  accomplish  her  destiny  ? 
If  we  drive  her  away  she  will  only 
move  to  a  neighbouring  hill.  Let  us 
hope  that,  having  arrived  with  the  storks, 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL  17 

she  may  also  go  when  they  leave  us  in 
Autumn.'* 

"  Inchallah  ! "  sighed  the  Hanem-effendi, 
who  wished  to  retire,  but  the  steward, 
with  a  discreet  cough,  added,  "  That 
is  not  all — wait,  I  pray  you.  The  turban 
of  the  priest  of  our  village  has  been  found 
twice  in  the  same  week  on  the  table 
beside  his  bed.  He  is  very  anxious  to 
consult  you  on  the  subject,  and  is  here 
standing  behind  me.  May  he  speak  to 
you  ? " 

The  Hanem-effendi  re-arranged  her  head- 
dress, fastened  with  a  pin  her  veil  closer 
round  her  throat,  hesitated  for  a  moment, 
and  then  said,  "  I  am  listening." 

After  the  usual  flow  of  compliments, 
the  liodja  having  said  several  times  that 

.he  wished  to  kiss  her  feet,    he   seemed   so 

2 


18  THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HTLL 

embarrassed,  that  to  give  him   encourage- 
ment she  repeated,  "  I  am  listening." 

"  I  followed  your  advice,  Excellency— 
but — there — I  think  I  must  tell  you  all 
about  it  over  again,  for  you  must  have 
forgotten.  I  am,  as  you  know,  occupied 
with  the  care  of  the  mosque,  and  the 
instruction  of  the  village  children,  whom 
I  teach  to  read  the  Koran,  and  then 
there  are  the  poor  to  whom  I  give  bilaf. 
Therefore,  perhaps,  as  you  may  remember, 
unintentionally,  I  forget  the  duties  of 
a  husband  towards  his  wife.  As  you 
know,  she  gets  very  angry  with  me,  and 
gossips  a  great  deal  with  the  women  round 
the  well,  and  tells  them  all  sorts  of 
things  that  a  husband  does  not  care  to 
have  talked  about,  which  gives  the  village 
an  undesirable  reputation.  Well,  now, 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL          19 

something  has  occurred  which  has  given 
me  the  nickname  of  'Hoclja  with  two 
Fridays.'  For  they  call  me  by  no  other 
name  now." 

"There  is  no  great  harm  in  that,"  said 
the  Hanem-effendi,  softly. 

"Ah  !  but  there  is,"  he  said,  sadly  ;  "  do 
you  know  what  my  wife  has  done  ?  Well, 
acting  on  your  advice,  so  as  to  live  in 
peace  I  said  to  her,  '  My  wife,  I  authorize 
you  every  Friday  night,  when  we  go  to 
bed,  to  place  my  turban  on  the  table  near 
us,  which  will  recall  to  my  memory  what 
I  am  always  forgetting." 

Here  the  hodja  sniffed,  blew  his  nose, 
and  then  cried  excitedly,  "  Since  then, 
do  you  know  what  she  has  done,  that 
woman  ? — she  has  found  two  Fridays  in 
the  same  .week,  and  it  is  always  twice 


20          THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

a  week  that  my  turban  is  placed  there. 
I  said,  '  What  a  strange  woman  you  are, 
that  you  always  find  two  Fridays  in  the 
same  week.'  Will  your  Excellency  believe 
it,  she  laughed  aloud,  and  with  extra- 
ordinary boldness,  like  a  European,  she 
said,  '  I  will  soon  find  three.'  Such  an 
answer  dumbfounded  me.  I  beg  your 
Excellency  to  use  your  great  influence 
to  stop  this  scandal.  The  good  name 
of  the  village  that  I  look  after  depends 
on  it." 

"My  son,"  said  the  Hanem-efFendi, 
with  great  dignity,  "  I  will  guard  your 
good  name,  and  the  reputation  of  the 
village." 


CHAPTER  III 

LATER  on  she  found  herself  thinking  much 
over  all  these  things,  and  when  in  her 
room,  she  pushed  open  the  shutter  from 
one  of  the  windows,  and  looked  out  on 
the  sea  at  her  feet,  which  a  strong  current 
was  driving  and  swaying  with  masses  of 
foam. 

A  sea-bird  perched  on  the  ruins  of  the 
quay  was  following  with  its  little  black 
eyes  the  approach  of  a  caique,  and 
nervously  turning  its  head  right  and  left. 
Suddenly  it  opened  its  blue  wings  arid 
flew  away  in  the  direction  of  the  Black 

21 


22  THE    WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL 

Sea.  The  boat  having  run  in  to  shore,  a 
Greek  woman  landed,  holding  a  letter  in 
her  hand.  As  she  drew  nearer  to  the 
harem  she  hid  the  note  under  her  shawl 
in  a  furtive  manner,  but  the  Hanem- 
effeudi,  who  had  followed  her  closely  with 
her  eyes,  cried  out  sharply  and  im- 
periously, "  Come,  cocona,  and  give  me 
immediately  the  letter  you  are  holding  in 
your  hand." 

The  cocona,  as  all  Greek  women  do, 
immediately  began  a  hasty  rigmarole  of 
lies,  but,  under  the  fixed  stare  of  the 
lady,  suddenly  faltered,  and  after  a  little 
hesitation  held  out  the  letter  to  her. 

"  Who  is  it  from  ? "  asked  Hanem- 
effendi,  severely. 

"From  Osman  Bey,"  was  the  faltering 
answer. 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   ^fLL  23 

'Go,  it  is  well — and  never  venture 
here  again." 

When  she  was  alone,  not  knowing  how 
to  read  French,  she  turned  the  letter  im- 
patiently in  her  fingers,  then  held  it  to 
her  face,  and  noticed  its  heavy  scent — • 
the  scent  that  the  perfumers  in  the  Rue  de 
la  Paix  sell  to  the  Beys  and  Pachas  who 
wish  to  be  thought  'a  la  franca.' 

"  It  is  always  that  scent  which  glides 
in  amongst  us/'  she  said,  half  aloud. 
Vaguely  and  uneasily,  not  knowing  quite 
what  she  ought  to  do,  she  sent  for  her 
daughter  fimine',  and  begged  her  to  ex- 
plain what  was  written  in  the  letter,  and 
to  whom  it  was  directed. 

"It  is  sent  to  me,"  said  fimine',  simply, 
but  keeping  always  the  respectful  attitude 
that  she  owed  to  her  mother.  "  My  cousin 


24  THE  WOMAN    OF  THE   HILL 

and  I  have  for  some  time  been  in  corre- 
spondence with  Osman  Bey  and  Noureddin 
Pacha.  We  have  decided  to  marry 
them.  What  we  have  learnt  from  our 
European  teachers  shows  us  that  in- 
dependence and  liberty  are  the  most 
valuable  things  in  life.  Look  at  the 
English,  American,  and  French  women. 
They  are  free,  and  we  wish  to  become  like 
them." 

Having  accentuated  almost  brutally  the 
last  words,  she  held  up  her  head  haughtily, 
as  if  to  defend  what  she  called  her 
'liberty.' 

If  a  chasm  had  opened  between  them, 
the  mother  could  not  have  looked  more 
astonished.  £min£  was  tall,  well  made, 
and  slight,  after  the  manner  of  young  girls, 
and  her  golden  brown  eyes  shone  brilliantly 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL  25 

like  stars,  and  her  curved  red  lips  were 
like  ripe  fruit  in  the  sun. 

She  began  proudly  again  a  discourse  on 
the  emancipation  of  women,  saying  that 
liberty  was  the  first  step  towards  raising 
the  morals  of  a  nation,  and  added, 
"  America  has  given  us  a  striking  example 
in " 

She  saw  that  her  mother  was  no  longer 
listening,  and  paused. 

An  immense  void  seemed  to  stretch  out 
between  their  two  minds,  and  with  the 
weary  step  of  a  tired  traveller,  the  Hanem- 
effendi  abandoned  all  hope  of  mentally 
following  her  child.  She  remained  stricken 
silent  —  feeling;  that  the  mischief  was 

O 

irremediable. 

•  Ji  am  only  speaking  the  truth," 
insisted  fimine,  feeling  irritated  that  she 


26  THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

had  not  impressed  her  mother  with  her 
show  of  knowledge. 

"  You  are  to  blame,  my  child,"  said  the 
Hanem-effendi,  sadly  and  slowly ;  "  Euro- 
pean ideas  do  not  prevent  that — you  are  to 
blame.  Osman  Bey  and  Noureddiu  Pacha 
are  atheists  ;  they  are  no  longer  Musulmen, 
except  physically.  The  religion  of  their 
souls  is  dead — killed  by  their  long  visits 
to  European  capitals.  You  forget  that 
your  uncle  is  the  chief  of  our  religion.'* 

In  her  turn  she  ceased  speaking 
suddenly.  The  violence  of  her  emotion 
seemed  to  banish  all  the  strength  from 
her  body  and  ideas  from  her  mind.  She 
could  find  nothing  decisive  to  say.  She 
got  up  and  took  a  few  hurried  steps  in 
the  room,  almost  unconsciously  holding  her 
hands  tightly  pressed  to  her  throbbing 


THE   WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL  27 

temples,  and  for  a  moment  she  thought  she 
was  going  to  faint.  A  soft  breath  of  wind 
passed  in  through  the  window  from  the 
sea,  and  the  gentleness  of  its  caress  brought 
tears  to  her  eyes.  To  hide  them  from  her 
child  she  turned  and  looked  out  on  the  blue 
waters  of  the  Bosphorus. 

Then  loud  cries  woke  her  from  her 
state  of  semi-forgetfulness,  and  in  astonish- 
ment she  saw  a  small  sailing  boat  caught  by 
the  current  and  driven  swiftly  towards  the 
building.  Two  European  sailors  sprang 
into  the  bows  with  boat-hooks  to  try  and 
break  the  inevitable  shock. 

With  a  crash  the  bowsprit  dashed 
through  the  trellis-work  of  the  immense 
window,  where  the  two  Turkish  women 
were,  and  the  glass  and  light  woodwork  fell 
in  a  thousand  pieces  into  the  water  like  the 


28  THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

sound  of  hail  in  a  violent  storm.  ±n  a 
moment  four  sailors  were  almost  in  the 
room. 

In  a  sort  of  stupor  they  gazed  at  the 
women,  and  then,  realising  that  they  were 
almost  in  a  harem,  their  looks  changed 
from  surprise  to  delight.  One,  with  his 
hand  on  heart,  waved  kisses  to  Emine, 
whilst  the  others  smiled  in  an  impertinent 
manner.  Horror-struck  for  9  moment, 
Hanem-effendi  remained  motionless,  then 
rising  before  them  with  a  superb  gesture, 
she  seemed  to  hurl  back  on  them  the 
foulness  of  their  insult. 

From  the  stern  of  the  boat  the  captain 
shouted  some  order,  and  the  four  men 
hurriedly  shoved  off,  and  in  a  few  moments 
the  boat  was  floating  away  in  the  soft  rose- 
coloured  light  of  evening. 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL  29 

"  Christianity  penetrates  with  a  brutal 
fury  through  all  the  cracks  in  our  houses," 
cried  passionately  the  elder  lady,  with  such 
anger  in  her  voice  as  to  make  it  almost 
unrecognizable.  Then  seeing  a  stain  of 
blood  on  her  white  linen  mantle,  she 
screamed  aloud,  forgetting,  for  the  first 
time  in  her  life,  that  calmness  of  voice 
and  manner  is  the  only  distinction  between 
the  great  ones  of  earth  and  those  that  are 
born  slaves. 

"Take  this  horrible  stain  from  me," 
she  cried  as  the  slaves  ran  in,  "throw  all 
this  wreckage,  stained  with  the  blood  of 
the  destroyers  of  my  race,  into  the  sea. 
AlO  that  1  could  see  it  dyed  with  the 
blood  of  their  hearts.  See,"  she  screamed, 
in  a  frenzy  of  anger,  "  see,  miserable 
animals  that  you  are,  vou,  who  never 


30          THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

defend  yourselves,  Christianity  has  passed 
in  here — what  is  left  ?  Nothing.  All  is 
finished,  all  is  broken ! " 

The  sight  of  the  blood  from  a  sailor 
wounded  by  the  broken  glass  seemed  to 
drive  her  almost  mad,  and  knowing  no 
way  of  revenge,  she  burst  into  a  passion 
of  tears  and  sobs  before  her  slaves,  who 
in  all  their  lives  had  never  seen  her  cry. 

The  poor  girls,  filled  with  terror,  remained 
motionless,  trying  to  look  humble  and 
submissive. 

When  she  became  calmer,  she  stifled 
her  sobs,  but  her  eyes  followed  the  distant 
boat,  growing  fainter  and  more  vague  in 
the  soft  fading  light,  its  white  sails  gradu- 
ally melting  away  into  the  distant  primrose 
and  mauve  clouds,  where  one  star  hung  like 
a  pale  lamp. 


THE    WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL  31 

She  passed  her  hands  over  her  eyes 
as  if  to  efface  the  memory  of  what 
had  seemed  to  her  a  long  and  terrible 
nightmare,  and  uttering  a  short  prayer, 
walked  towards  the  apartments  of  her 
brother. 

Silently,  as  is  the  custom,  she  waited 
for  him  to  speak  first.  He  closed  the 
Koran  that  he  was  reading,  and  carefully 
covered  it  with  its  silk  envelope. 

"  I  am  listening,  my  sister,"  he  said  in  his 
gentle,  even  voice.  In  his  profound  know- 
ledge of  human  nature,  he  knew  that  to 
perfectly  understand  what  women  wished 
to  say  it  was  necessary  to  listen  for  a 
long  time ,  so  he  added  with  a  sigh,  "  I 
have  an  hour  before  me." 

"You  wished,  Cheik-ul-Islam,  or  at 
least  you  consented,  that  our  children 


32  THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

should  be  instructed  in  European  science. 
Giaours  have  succeeded  Giaours  in  this 
house,  and  since  then  the  girls'  minds  have 
been  enveloped  in  darkness.  They  have 
learnt  things  that  are  not  necessary  to 
know  to  ensure  a  happy  life,  and  all  that 
teaching  has  brought  a  great  misfortune 
upon  our  house.  Notwithstanding  all  the 
respect  that  I  owe  to  my  eldest  brother, 
I  tell  you,  Cheik-ul-Islam,  that  it  was 
not  your  right  to  allow  Christianity  to 
enter  our  house.  All  misfortunes  date  from 
that." 

"The  harm  does  not  come  from  the 
Christian  religion — for  the  religion  itself  is 
a  beautiful  one — but  from  European  civiliza- 
tion," he  answered,  gravely. 

Rather  upset  by  his  persistent  tolerance, 
she  hung  her  head  under  the  conciliatory 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL  33 

gaze  of  the  old  man.  A  new  bitterness 
filled  her  heart,  and  then  in  a  rush  of  words, 
with  trembling  voice,  she  told  of  the  terrible 
thing  that  had  come  about,  and  finished  by 
saying,  "  Adile  and  Emine*  have  corresponded 
with  those  scandalous  men,  Noureddin 
Pacha  and  Osman  Bey,  and  wish  to  marry 

them " 

Then,  having  unburdened  her  mind  by 
this  revelation,  she  lifted  her  eyes  to  her 
brother's  face.  The  terrible  look  on  his 
face  made  her  heart  stop  beating,  and  a 
chill  seemed  to  penetrate  to  her  bones ; 
for  before  her,  deadly  pale  in  his  white 
garments,  looking  like  one  dead,  on  whom 
snow  had  fallen,  he  stood.  Running  to 

o 

him,  she  tremblingly  threw  herself  at  his 
feet,  kissing  them. 

"  Essence   of   the    creation    of  God — my 

3 


34          -THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

soul,  ray  treasure,  smile  on  me,"  she  cried, 
with  short  tearless  sobs.  Then,  seeing  he 
cried  with  the  slow  falling  tears  of  old 
age,  she  exclaimed  passionately  and  sadly, 
Henzer  Giaour  !  " 


CHAPTER  IV 

THERE  were  two  reasons  which  seemed  to 
the  Cheik-ul-Islam  to  make  the  marriages 
impossible. 

Noureddin  and  Osman  were  free-thinkers, 
and  had  brought  back  from  their  long  visits 
to  foreign  capitals  principles  which,  though 
they  carefully  concealed  them  from  the 
Sultan,  had  already  begun  to  be  quite  well 
known,  and  gave  great  offence  to  all  the 
religious  Musulmen  connected  with  them. 

They  no  longer  believed  in  God,  and  led 
most  dissolute  lives. 

Furthermore,    the     Cheik-ul-Islam     had 

35 


36  THE   WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL 

decided  to  marry  his  daughter  and  niece  to 
two  brothers,  Ali  Bey  and  Ibrahim  Bey, 
two  strong,  magnificent  young  men  of  the 
people,  of  perfect  physique  and  irreproach- 
able morals. 

There  was  no  question  of  mesalliance  for 
the  girls  of  his  family  in  marrying  them  to 
the  sons  of  a  porter,  for  good  qualities 
certainly  do  not  come  from  birth,  but  from 
the  heart. 

Prejudices  of  that  order  are  still  un- 
known in  the  lives  of  Turks,  who  are  not  as 
yet  contaminated  by  servile  imitation  of 
the  morals  and  manners  of  other  countries, 
and  family  names  do  not  exist.  Turkish 
men  can  only  hope  to  attain  to  situations 
they  desire  by  their  own  personal  merit. 
Also  he  had  taken  much  interest  and  trouble 
in  the  education  of  Ali  and  Ibrahim,  who, 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL          37 

when  quite  young,  had  been  confided  to 
his  care  as  orphans.  The  Cheik-ul-Islam 
thought  it  quite  natural  that  the  two  young 
men  should  marry  his  daughter  and  niece, 
with  whom  they  had  been  brought  up  till 
they  reached  the  age  when  the  custom  of  the 
country  ordained  that  they  should  leave  the 
shelter  of  the  harem  for  that  of  the  Selamlec. 
The  intelligence,  correct  bearing,  and 
high  principles  of  these  young  men,  both 
of  whom  were  captains  in  His  Majesty's 
army,  gave  him  complete  confidence  in  the 
future  happiness  of  the  girls,  and  he  had 
long  ago  settled  that  the  marriages  should 
take  place  when  the  young  women  had 
reached  the  age  of  nineteen. 

Up  till  now  the  mind  of  the  Cheik-ul- 
Islam  had  been  perfectly  at  ease  concern- 
ing them.  He  was  well  aware  that  (under 


38  THE   WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL 

pretext  of  giving  commissions  to  the  two 
young  officers,  who  every  morning  went  to 
Stamboul)  fimiue  and  Adile,  hidden  behind 
the  lattice  that  divided  the  harem  from  the 
men's  quarters,  used  to  gossip  and  talk  with 
them,  and  was  under  the  impression  that 
they  loved  each  other.  The  Hanem-effendi 
did  not  quite  approve  of  the  custom  which 
allowed  these  two  girls  to  communicate  so 
often  with  the  passionate  young  officers, 
and  her  nature,  always  prone  to  look  on  the 
dark  side  of  things,  was  ill  at  ease  on  the 
possible  consequences  that  might  arise  as 
the  result  of  these  long  conversations. 

Notwithstanding  the  discontent  of  his 
sister,  the  Cheik-ul-Islam  altered  nothing  in 
the  order  of  things.  He  tried  to  calm  her 
by  assuring  her  that  though  religion  forbade 
women  to  show  their  beauty  to  men,  lest  it 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL        30 

should  distract  them  from  the  duties  of 
their  daily  life,  it  in  no  way  was  opposed 
to  their  exchanging  intercourse  that  was 
necessary  for  the  ordinary  wants  of  life ; 
and  that  the  high  rank  of  their  respective 
daughters  did  not  allow  them  to  go  and 
make  their  own  purchases ;  and  that  as 
the  fortunes  of  Turkish  families  had  of 
late  years  so  much  decreased,  the  additional 
luxury  of  eunuchs  was  a  thing  of  the  past. 
Consequently  it  had  become  necessary  to 
employ  women  to  make  the  purchases  for 
the  harem,  and  in  default  of  them,  it  was 
quite  correct  to  use  the  men  of  the  Selamlec. 

"  I  can  assure  you,"  he  added,  "  that  only 
the  most  innocent  and  harmless  things  are 
discussed  by  them." 

Then  with  his  look  of  goodness  and  calm 
gentleness  he  put  an  end  to  the  interview. 


CHAPTER   V 

HE  absolutely  and  firmly  declined  to  even 
consider  the  project  of  marriage  desired  by 
his  daughter  and  niece.  Thereupon  the 
Hanern-effendi,  having  acquainted  the  two 
girls  with  his  decision,  they  both  determined 
to  act  like  the  heroines  in  European 
romances.  They  agreed  between  them,  that 
they  had  often  heard  that  girls  whose  wishes 
were  thwarted  sometimes  took  poison — did 
not  die  from  the  effects,  and  soon  obtained 
from  their  parents  leave  to  follow  their 
desires. 

So  they  ran  quickly  to  the  lattice  door, 

40 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL  41 

and  forgetting  the  dignity  of  their  position, 
began  ringing  nervously  at  the  bell.  At 
this  hasty  and  unusual  sound,  a  voice  of  a 
slave  from  the  other  side  asked  respectfully, 
"  Ne  dir  effendim  ?  "  ("  What  is  it, 
Excellency  ? ") 

"The  head  of  the  harem  has  gone  out, 
and  we  wish  to  speak  to  the  steward 
of  the  Selamlec,  or  to  Ibrahim  Bey,"  they 
answered. 

The  slave  went  off  to  find  one  of  these 
two,  whilst  the  girls  waited  silently  for  some 
time.  Presently  they  heard  the  sound  of  a 
sword  dragging  lightly  over  the  ground. 
Emine  glanced  through  the  lattice,  and 
seeing  the  form  of  Ibrahim  leaning  against 
the  doorway,  she  asked  him  a  few  polite 
questions  concerning  himself. 

"  I    thank   you,  and   I    kiss   your   feet," 


42  THE  WOMAN    OF  THE   HILL 

answered  a  man's  clear,  strong  voice,  with 
some  emotion  in  it. 

;<  We  want  some  laudanum,  and  you 
_nust  go  to  Stamboul  to-morrow  to  buy 
it." 

"Certainly,  I  will  do  so,"  murmured 
Ibrahim,  who  always  felt  that  any  orders 
of  ^mine's  should  be  obeyed  ;  then  lean- 
ing a  little  closer  he  whispered,  "  I  have 
a  bunch  of  flowers  that  I  picked  on 
the  hills ;  will  you  have  it  ? "  Thinking 
that  he  had  not  sufficiently  explained 
his  mind,  he  added  softly,  "  You  know 
that,  like  a  good  Musulman,  I  like  to 
wander  on  the  hills.  There  one's  soul 
is  better,  and  I  wish  to  beautify  mine 
with  fine  thoughts  whilst  my  hands  pick 
the  flowers  that  I  offer  you." 

She    thanked     him     with     a     thousand 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL  43 

pretty  words,  and  opening  the  creaking 
lattice  ever  so  little,  she  held  out  her 
hand  and  drew  in  the  flowers,  which  she 
handed  to  her  cousin.  At  the  sight  of 
the  simple  bunch  of  veronica,  with  its 
turquoise  blooms  trembling  on  their  stems, 
the  two  girls  stifled  back  their  mocking 
laughter,  and  glanced  at  each  other  in 
merriment. 

"  I  bound  the  flowers  with  long  green 
grass,  but  perhaps  you  would  have  pre- 
ferred a  ribbon  from  Paris,"  said  Ibrahim, 
with  a  voice  that  trembled  slightly.  "My 
soul,"  he  added,  after  a  short  silence,  "  I 
have  learnt  some  verses  about  you — will 
you  listen  to  them  ? " 

Poor,  simple,  honest  man,  he  thought 
that  verses  were  the  only  words  fit  for 
lovers,  and  with  agonizing  nervousness 


44  THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

he  began  to  recite   what  he   thought    was 
so  beautiful— 

"  Grod  has  created  you " 

On  the  other  side  of  the  door  the  two 
girls  smiled  contemptuously ;  and  that  he 
should  not  hear  their  flight,  they  took 
their  little  wooden  and  gilded  shoes  in 
their  hands,  and  noiselessly  disappeared, 
laughing  softly  when  out  of  sight  in 
that  evil  way  women  do  when  making 
fun  of  men  that  love  them. 

Having  finished  reciting  the  poetry 
which  he  thought  expressed  his  love  so 
well,  he  imagined  that  a  delicacy  of 
feeling  prevented  fimine  from  answering. 
Moved  almost  to  tears  himself,  he  mur- 
mured, "  Oh,  my  soul,"  and  walked  away 
noiselessly. 

The    next     day    a    fright     and     horror 


THE   WOMAN   OF   THE   HILL  45 

spread  through  the  harem,  for  the  young 
Hanems  declared  that  they  had  poisoned 
themselves  because  they  had  been  refused 
the  husbands  that  their  souls  and  bodies 
wished  for  so  ardently.  The  pain  caused 
by  laudanum  was  not  long  in  coming, 
and  the  terror  of  the  women  of  the  harem 
was  such  that  no  one  thought  or  knew 
how  to  treat  them,  till  fimine',  who  was 
extremely  anxious  not  to  die,  suggested 
that  a  doctor  should  be  at  once  summoned. 

The  two  girls  were  a  long  time  recover- 
ing, and  the  Hanem-efFendi,  somewhat 
more  tolerant  by  the  pain  that  the  scandal 
caused  her,  implored  Cheik-ul-lslam  to 
give  his  consent. 

As  he  gave  it  a  new  gravity  seemed 
to  take  possession  of  his  face  and  darken 
his  heart,  and  his  unhappy  look  seemed 


46          THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

as  deep  as  the  shadow  in  the  long  avenue 
of  cypresses  that  bordered  the  road  to 
Hedjaz. 

Perhaps  it  was  then  the  God  allowed 
him  to  see  into  the  future. 

The  two  brothers  were  the  last  to 
learn  of  the  approaching  marriages  of 
the  girls  that  they  loved,  with  Osman 
Bey  and  Noureddin  Pacha. 

Since  the  customs  of  the  country  had 
separated  them  from  playfellows  of  child- 
hood, they  waited  without  anxiety  for  the 
plan  of  Cheik-ul-Islam  to  be  carried  out. 

Ali  Bey,  the  eldest,  was  extremely  ugly, 
notwithstanding  all  the  trouble  he  took 
with  his  clothes  and  appearance.  Ugly 
he  was,  and  ugly  he  remained — of  an 
ugliness  without  possibilities  or  hope. 


47 

With  true  Turkish  philosophy  he 
resigned  himself  more  easily  than  his 
brother  did  to  the  unhappiness  of  being 
unable  to  marry  his  fiancee.  He  had 
wisely  always  doubted  that  moral  beauty 
had  any  great  power  in  love  affairs ;  and 
the  future  of  married  life  had  often  caused 
him  much  uneasiness ;  though  he  had 
struggled  against  the  fear,  out  of  respect 
for  the  judgment  of  Cheik-ul-Islam,  whom 
he  considered  as  almost  infallible. 

Ibrahim,  on  the  other  hand  (whom  God 
had  created  one  day  when  he  was  on 
good  terms  with  manly  beauty),  had 
always  felt  within  him  a  great  power  of 
loving,  and  with  passionate  longing  he 
had  looked  forward  to  his  marriage  with 
fimine-hanem. 

To   be    more    worthy    of    her    love    he 


had  obstinately  repulsed  all  passionate 
feelings  and  love  affairs,  which,  as  every- 
one knows,  are  extraordinarily  adroit  in 
dangling  themselves  before  the  eyes  of 
men.  Looking  with  disgust  on  the  race  of 
courtesans  (generally  of  Greek  or  Armenian 
blood),  and  their  impurity,  he  voluntarily 
fled  their  presence,  always  saying  to 
himself  that  the  remembrance  of  their 
gestures  of  love  or  passion  would  cause 
him  the  greatest  pain  when  he  looked 
for  the  first  time  into  the  eyes  of  fimine' 
as  his  wife.  All  these  ideas  had  often 
filled  his  mind  during  the  long  hours 
when  on  duty  with  his  general. 

On  the  rare  occasions  when  he  had 
fallen  in  Stamboul,  he  closed  his  eyes 
so  as  not  even  to  see  the  face  near  him, 
and  of  these  occasional  lapses  a  sadness 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL  49 

always  remained  in  his  heart.  Now  he 
held  himself  very  erect,  rigid  in  his  grief, 
and  determined  not  to  let  himself  think 
of  the  trouble  which  was  drawing  such 
sad  lines  on  his  beautiful  face. 

Formerly  the  women  of  the  harem, 
when  they  saw  him  pass,  used  to  say 
that  he  was  beautiful  and  strong  as 

o 

a  young  poplar  tree.  They  admired  the 
perfect  symmetry  of  his  body  and  the 
grace  of  his  every  movement.  The  tender 
expression  of  his  face  and  delicate 
features  attracted  even  the  coldest ;  and 
they  used  to  say,  "How  sweet  he  would 
be  to  love ;  when  we  think  of  him  we 
feel  ourself  grow  feeble  like  fluttering 
doves  when  the  royal  eagle  pounces  on 
them,  knowing  that  he  will  eat  their 

very   hearts.     We   know   that   he   has    all 

4 


50  THE  WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL 

the  calmness  and  strength  of  a  great 
warrior ;  his  great  eyes  flash  with  a  passion 
it  would  be  useless  to  fight  against." 

Many  of  the  women  felt  their  bodies 
tremble  with  love  for  him ;  whilst  he,  out 
of  respect  for  the  customs  of  the  country, 
pretended  to  be  ignorant  of  their  presence 
behind  the  lattice  windows.  Some  of  them, 
overcome  with  their  passion  for  him,  would 
murmur  sweet  things  to  him  half  under 
their  breath  as"  he  went  past. 

He  would  listen  to  none  of  them,  and 
his  mind  was  full  of  his  remembrance  of 
Emine",  who  seemed  always  present  in  his 
heart.  With  his  strong  imagination  he 
could  see  her  eyes  grow  liquid  and  tender 
under  his  own  burning  gaze. 

Emine  was  thirteen  and  he  fifteen  when 
for  the  first  time  her  lips  were  pressed  to 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL          51 

his,  and  left  there  that  inextinguishable 
love  which  still  shook  his  whole  being. 
Had  he  not  also  tried  to  reach  her  poor 
little  soul  when  talking  to  her  every  evening 
behind  the  lattice  ?  He  often  thought  of 
the  simple  and  pure-minded  things  he  had 
talked  to  her  about,  inspired  by  the  chaste 
presence  which  he  felt  was  so  near  to  him. 
Then,  one  night  when  the  spangled  sky 
was  half  veiled  by  light  clouds,  he  was 
suddenly  seized  with  a  violent  desire — and 
that  desire,  which  stole  his  pure  love,  came 
upon  him  with  such  force,  causing  the  blood 
in  his  temples  to  beat  so  furiously  and 
madly,  that  he  turned  and  fled  out  into  the 
darkness. 

Since  then,  always  dreaming  of  the  future, 
he  had  waited  with  impatience  when  the  hour 
should  strike  that  should  give  her  to  him. 


52  THE   WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL 

Alone,  in  the  evening,  when  he  thought 
of  what  he  had  lost,  his  despair  over- 
whelmed him,  and  throwing  himself  down, 
he  tore  at  the  fine  English  scarf  (he  had 
tied  round  his  strong  young  throat 
thinking  to  please  her)  and  burst  into 
a  passion  of  hopeless  tears.  Realizing 
Emine"s  treachery,  he  could  only  repeat 
over  and  over  again  in  an  agony  of  despair, 
"  She  has  deserted  me — she  has  deserted 
me." 

He  implored  his  general  to  send  him 
to  the  regiment  which  was  at  Alep, 
where  the  climate  hardly  ever  spared  the 
newly  come — for  he  wished  to  die. 

The  Cheik-ul-Islam  interfered  in  his 
gentle  paternal  manner,  and  the  unhappy 
youth  gave  in,  in  obedience  to  the  orders  of 
the  chief  of  religion. 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL  53 

He  then  gave  himself  up  entirely  to  his 
military  profession,  and  studied  German, 
so  as  to  better  understand  the  science  of 
fighting  and  new  military  tactics,  and 
frequented  the  society  of  European  officers, 
but  remained  always  a  Musulman  by  con- 
viction. He  joined  one  of  the  powerful  and 
mysterious  brotherhoods  which,  from  India 
to  Morocco,  and  from  the  Balkans  to  the 
south  of  Africn,  appeal  so  strongly  to  the 
spirit  of  the  Islamites. 


CHAPTER  VI 

IF  anything  ever  happened  to  worry  the 
Cheik- ill-Islam,  he  felt  always  the  desire  to 
go  and  talk  things  over  with  Dada,1  who 
had  watched  over  his  childhood.  But  the 
poor  old  woman  had  just  died  from  old  age, 
which  caused  him  the  greatest  grief,  for  she 
alone  was  able  to  give  him  consolation  in 
his  troubles  ;  and  this  new  grief  smote  him 
in  the  remembrances  that  were  most  dear 
to  him — those  of  the  old  days  which  the 
humble  slave  had  made  so  happy  with  her 
care  and  tenderness. 

1  A  slave  who  acts  as  nurse  to  the  children  in  harems. 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL  55 

Her  death  had  caused  consternation  in 
the  harem,  for  there  they  venerated  her 
almost  as  a  saint,  and  waited  from  day  to 
day  expecting  her  third  dentition.  It  is 
said  that  when  anyone  reaches  a  hundred 
and  eight  or  nine  that  a  new  set  of  teeth 
comes  through  the  old  gums. 

As  a  point  of  fact  the  old  woman  did  not 
exactly  know  her  age,  like  most  old  slaves, 
and  did  not  attach  the  slightest  importance 
to  it. 

She  used  to  say  that,  thanks  to  Allah,  the 
complicated  and  useless  laws  of  far-off 
people  had  not  yet  penetrated  to  Turkey, 
where  still  they  could  live  and  die  in 
perfect  liberty. 

The  entire  harem  had  been  greatly 
delighted  at  the  prospect  of  seeing  the 
teeth  of  her  second  childhood.  Even  the 


56  THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

Selamle'c  (men's  division)  was  interested  in 
the  probable  phenomenon,  and  the  Lola 
(male  guardian  of  children  in  the  Selamle'c) 
was  anxiously  expecting  to  hear  of  her  first 
tooth.  For  at  the  beginning  of  time,  when 
he  was  twenty-five  years  old  and  she  forty, 
he  had  wished  to  marry  her. 

Consequently,  though  the  marriage  had 
not  come  off,  he  had  never  forgotten  her, 
and  the  mystery  that  surrounds  a  harem 
still  left  in  his  imagination  the  idea  that 
she  was  as  beautiful  as  when  once,  by 
chance  through  an  open  door,  he  had  seen 
her  without  a  veil. 

In  truth,  what  was  left  of  her  was  only  a 
small  body  of  mere  skin  and  bones,  shrunk 
and  crumpled,  looking  like  nothing  human. 
For  many  years  past  she  had  become  a 
malicious  little  old  gnome,  who,  with  sur- 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL  57 

prising  quickness,  spied  out  the  smallest 
doings  in  the  harem,  and  who  passed  her 
day  on  her  divan  giving  her  advice  about  a 
thousand  trifles ;  though  it  must  be  said 
that  the  advice  was  not  always  followed. 
With  a  long  stick  she  was  always  ready, 
with  her  little  claw-like  hands,  to  defend 
herself  against  the  innocent  but  irritat- 
ing teasing  of  the  younger  girls  of  the 
harem. 

When  he  was  sad  or  worried  the  Cheik- 
ul-Islam  was  accustomed  to  send  a  slave  to 
fetch  her  on  her  back  to  him,  for  she  had 
long  ago  lost  the  use  of  her  legs. 

As  soon  as  he  knew  the  wishes  and 
intentions  of  his  niece  and  daughter,  he 
told  the  old  woman  how  great  a  grief  it 
was  to  him,  and  begged  her  to  use 
all  her  influence  to  dissuade  them  from 


58  THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

their  projects.  She  seemed  much  affected 
by  his  news,  her  eyes  rolling  ceaselessly 
in  their  cavernous  hollows  —  the  only 
part  of  her  that  seemed  to  retain  any 
life. 

She  used  to  watch  the  coming  and  going 
of  the  men  of  the  Selamlec  under  her 
windows,  and  always  her  old  eyes  brightened 
feverishly  when  she  saw  Ibrahim,  when 
she  would  cry  out,  "  Machallah !  what  a 
beautiful  body,  and  what  a  fine  Musulraan 
soul  inhabits  it.  In  all  my  life  I  have 
never  seen  such  a  man — whilst  our  children 
prefer  atheists,  men  sunk  in  vice,  who,  since 
their  return,  have  the  indecency  to  make 
their  women  undress  before  them.  Yes — in 
looking  at  women  quite  nude  they  are 
committing  a  deadly  sin.  Was  it  necessary 
that  I  should  live  so  long  as  to  learn  that 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL  59 

such  things  could  exist  ?  Love  !  that  till 
now  has  been  so  chaste  and  beautiful 
amongst  us  :  will  it  become  horrible  and 
disgusting  with  the  new  morals  brought 
to  our  midst  by  the  infidels?  Are  our 
women  going  to  wear  low  dresses  ?  To 
think  of  it  makes  my  head  whirl." 

Then,  returning  to  the  subject  of  Ibrahim, 
she  upheld  him  in  opposition  as  a  good 
Turk  to  Colonel  Osman  and  GeneTal 
Noureddin,  whom  she  said  were  civilized 
by  a  civilization  terrible  in  contrast  to  the 
Musulman  morals.  Then  she  cried  aloud 
as  the  Cheik-ul-Islam  passed,  "  Look  at  the 
Lion  of  Islamism.  When  you  see  him  one 
knows  that  sorrow  has  placed  a  sad  despair 
in  his  eyes !  He  makes  me  think  of  an 
extinct  volcano  that  I  saw  long  ago,  when 
travelling  through  an  unknown  country, 


60 

before  I  was  sold  at  Stamboul,  that 
burning  mountain  (which  seemed  like  a 
giant,  petrified  with  pain  and  grief)  that 
for  hundreds  of  years  had  stood  reflected 
in  the  calm  waters  at  its  feet." 

Then  by  some  evil  of  the  cheitan  (devil) 
the  old  dada,  who  was  about  to  give  advice 
to  those  round  her,  lost  the  thread  of 
her  discourse,  and  grew  nervous  at  the 
feeling  of  light-headedness. 

Drawing  up  her  little  withered  body,  she 
murmured  brokenly,  "  My  head  is  emptying 
itself  of  all  my  ideas — I  feel  it  shrinking — 
shrinking,  till  it  is  only  the  size  of  a 
cherry.  Ah,  my  children,  listen  to  me, 
struggle  against  civilization  which  destroys 
happiness.  Struggle — stru " 

Her  mouth  moved  noiselessly  for  a 
moment  or  two ;  and  then  she  fell,  a  small 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL          61 

crumpled  heap  of  clothes,  her  body  almost 
already  in  dust. 

The  dada  was  dead.  As  is  the  custom, 
she  was  quickly  put  into  a  coffin  and 
hurriedly  carried  to  the  cemetery, 


CHAPTER  VII 

AFTER  the  death  of  the  old  nurse,  the 
Cheik-ul-Islarn,  quite  broken  with  the  blow, 
no  longer  refused  his  blessing  on  the 

o  o 

marriage   of   the    daughters    of    his   house. 

But  as  there  was  so  much  misery  and 
wretchedness  throughout  the  Empire,  he 
ordered  none  of  the  fetes  usual  on  such 
important  occasions  of  life. 

Adile'-haneni  went  with  her  husband  to 
a  distant  district,  where  Noureddin  Pacha 
had  been  appointed  as  governor  ;  and  fimine 
went  with  Osman  Bey  to  live  with  his 
mother,  who  inhabited  a  beautiful  house 

C2 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL  63 

at  Bebck,  on  the  European  side  of  the 
Bos}  horns. 

As  is  the  custom,  many  visits  were 
exchanged  between  the  bride  and  her 
family ;  but  notwithstanding  her  experi- 
ence of  life,  the  Hanem-effendi  did  not  see 
on  her  daughter's  face  any  particular  ex- 
pression of  happiness  such  as  newly -married 
people  usually  bear. 

She  worried  about  it  a  good  deal,  but 
did  not  dare  ask  any  questions  on  such 
a  delicate  subject.  Still,  in  her  mind  she 
reserved  her  opinion  amongst  the  secrets 
she  knew  of  her  son-in-law's  life,  waiting 
with  patience  for  what  should  happen. 

Sometimes  she  said  half  aloud,  "  Baka- 
lem!"  (We  shall  see.) 

Occasionally    fimine'-hanem     came     and 


64          THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

visited  her  family,  and  having  kissed  the 
hand  of  her  uncle  and  mother,  she  would 
sit  and  smoke  a  cigarette  or  two  in  silence, 
and  drink  some  coffee,  with  a  vague  look 
on  her  face,  as  if  awaiting  the  return  of 
someone  who  had  vanished  ;  then,  having 
made  one  or  two  polite  observations,  would 
wrap  herself  in  her  tcharchaf,  and,  followed 
by  her  steward  and  a  slave,  would  embark 
in  her  caique  and  leave  without  a  word  of 
explanation.  One  day,  when  the  stifling 
heat  of  August  had  plunged  the  whole 
harem  in  the  most  profound  rest,  the 
knocker  on  the  door  sounded  noisily  several 
times,  and  echoed  loudly  through  the  big 
marble  hall.  A  slave,  hastily  drawing  her 
sash  round  her,  ran  and  opened  it. 

iWine'-hanem   stood   there,  with   several 
slaves  behind  her,  bearing   bundles  of  her 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL  65 

clothes  in  silk  bags.  Slowly  walking  to  hei 
old  room,  she  took  off  her  veil  and  said 
calmly,  "  I  have  come  back  to  live  here ; 
I  did  wrong  to  leave  you." 

Then  drawing  her  lips  close  together,  and, 
from  a  sense  of  pride,  showing  no  emotion, 
she  allowed  a  heavy  silence  to  fall  between 
herself  and  her  mother,  who  had  come 
quickly  to  bid  her  welcome.  After  several 
days'  rest  she  asked  her  uncle,  in  a  quiet, 
simple  manner,  to  get  her  divorce  for  her. 
He  listened  without  surprise  or  anger,  only 
begging  that  she  would  do  nothing  hastily. 

"  I  know  nothing,  my  child,  of  the  wrongs 
your  husband  has  done  you  ;  but  I  pray, 
even  command,  you  to  wait  till  absolute 
calmness  has  entered  your  heart  before 
you  take  any  step."  Also  the  Hanem- 

efFendi   begged   her   to   decide  nothing  for 

5 


66  THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HTLL 

two  or  three  months,  fimiue  looked  at 
them  with  sad  but  tearless  eyes,  and  bowed 
her  head  in  acquiescence,  and  in  a  few 
days  the  peaceful  monotony  of  the  harem 
surrounded  them  again. 

Nevertheless  the  indiscretion  of  a  slave 
made  all  the  household  of  Cheik-ul-Lshim 
aware  of  the  fact  that  during  the  first  week 
of  his  married  life  Osman  had  diabolically 
found  the  means  to  seduce  three  of  his  wife's 
slaves,  and  that  the  following  week,  inspired 
by  his  European  education,  he  had  done  the 
same  with  the  remaining  four  belonging  to 
fimine,  whilst  she  was  amiably  receiving 
the  felicitations  of  his  friends,  who  had  come 
to  see  her  and  witness  her  happiness. 

Whenever  she  looked  at  those  slaves,  who 
had  come  to  rejoin  her  at  her  uncle's  house, 
it  seemed  to  her  that  each  one  of  them  bore 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE    HILL  67 

on  her  a  bit  of  her  torn  heart.  Her  dignity 
and  pride  prevented  her  from  reproaching 
them  for  their  weakness.  On  the  contrary, 
she  schooled  herself  to  give  them  her  orders 
with  more  gentleness  of  manner  than  she 
ever  used  in  her  happier  days. 

Such  as  it  was,  she  bore  her  pain  in 
silence,  till  one  day  the  agony  of  it  was  too 
strong  for  her,  and  she  could  not  refrain 
from  showing  her  bitterness  against  the 
prettiest  of  those  who  served  her,  by  send- 
ing the  girl  from  her  personal  service  to  the 
more  arduous  and  menial  duties  of  the 
harem. 

The  poor  girl  wept  bitterly,  for  she  loved 
her  mistress,  and  she  already  knew  what 
the  future  had  in  store  for  her.  After  five 
months  of  physical  and  moral  suffering  she 
gave  premature  birth  to  a  child  ;  though  all 


68  THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

that  time  no  one  suspected  her  condition. 
At  that  piteous  sight  Emiue  knew  that  in 
her  heart  was  growing  the  generosity  of  the 
wife,  which  could  not  help  loving  the 
children  of  her  husband.  She  did  her  best 
to  look  after  the  poor  little  thing,  which 
could  not  open  its  eyes  on  the  world,  and 
cried  without  ceasing.  Hoping  to  still  it, 
she  breathed  all  sorts  of  caressing  words 
into  its  little  ears,  and  nursed  it  with  tender- 
ness in  her  trembling  arms.  The  suffering 
of  life  was  too  strong,  and  its  feeble,  inces- 

O7  * 

sant  cry  wrung  her  heart,  though  she  never 
let  it  out  of  her  arms.  It  died  ;  and  as  it 
lay  on  her  knees,  through  its  closed  eyelids 
she  seemed  to  see  for  the  first  time  its  eyes 
fixed  on  hers. 

With  the  pain  she  felt  at  losing  it,  she 
understood  that  she  loved   her  husband  in 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL  GO 

spite  of  all  she  knew  about  his  dissolute 
life,  and  she  began  to  forget  the  wrongs 
he  had  done  her. 

She  learnt  that  he  was  living  sometimes 
at  Tera,  sometimes  in  Paris  with  a  French 
demi-mondaine,  and  she  experienced  a 
bitterness  of  heart,  the  like  of  which  she 
had  never  felt  before.  By  degrees  there 
came  into  her  life  a  sort  of  calm,  and  the 
wish  grew  in  her  to  conform  to  the  customs 
and  •  morals  of  her  childhood.  In  the 
evening  she  mixed  with  the  women,  and 
murmured  word  by  word  verses  of  the 
Koran,  which  her  uncle  chanted  in  his 
gentle,  slow  voice  behind  the  wooden  lattice- 
work which  separated  the  men  from  the 
women  in  the  great  hall  of  prayer.  She 
listened  to  the  male  voices  of  the  imans 
and  mollahs,  who  repeated  with  musical 


70  THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

cadence  the  sacred  words,  "  God  alone  is 
great."  She  saw  through  the  woodwork, 
under  the  pale  light  of  lamps  that  burnt 
sweet-smelling  oil,  the  green  turbans  bowing 
slowly,  and  her  gaze  wandered  further  to 
the  multitude  of  white  ones  which  rose 
and  fell  regularly  like  the  crests  of  slow- 
rolling  waves. 

One  evening,  leaning  her  head  against 
one  of  the  great  white  marble  columns 
which  supported  the  roof,  she  closed  her 
eyes,  and  almost  passed  into  unconscious- 
ness, like  a  child  who  falls  asleep  knowing 
that  a  happy  day  is  promised  it  for  the 
morrow.  Suddenly,  like  a  flash  of  light- 
ning across  the  clearest  of  summer  skies,  the 
remembrance  of  Osman  struck  fiercely  at 
her  heart.  Without  waiting  for  the  end  of 
the  prayer,  she  quickly  wrapped  her  silver 


THE   WOMAN   OF   THE   HILL  71 

embroidered     tcharchaf    round     her,    and 
crossing  the  garden,  she  leant  tearless  and 
motionless  against  the  great  trunk   of  the 
arbutus    tree,  which   stood  near   the   door. 
Under  its  great  shadow,  which  covered  her 
as  a  heavy  veil,  she  waited  with  bent  head, 
hesitating    whether    she    should    call    the 
steward  or  Ibrahim,  and  ask   for   news   of 
her  husband.     Almost  unconsciously,  with 
her  little  feet   in   the   gilded   and  delicate 
wooden    shoes,  she   crushed   oil    the  white 
marble  floor  the  scarlet    and  purple   fruit, 
that  full  of  life  had  fallen  from  the  sombre 
tree,  and  soon  the  hem  of  her   dress   was 
stained   with    their    crimson    juice.      Then 
she      feverishly     approached     the     lattice, 
and    in    her    agitation   she    called    aloud, 
"  Ibrahim  —  Ibrahim,"    with     a    ringing, 
broken   voice,   as   when   some   fine    crystal 


72  THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HTLL 

vase  falls  and  breaks  on  the  marble  floor 
of  a  mosque. 

"  I  am  here,"  he  answered,  "  What  do 
you  wish  ? " 

Both  of  them,  suddenly  overwhelmed 
with  confused  thoughts,  were  still,  and 
allowed  the  waves  of  silence  to  close  over 
their  heads. 

Ever  since  he  knew  that  she  had  been 
soiled  by  the  embraces  of  Osman,  he 
experienced  extreme  discomfort  at  having 
to  stand  immovable  behind  the  lattice-door, 
and  to  shorten  his  pain  he  said,  "  What  can 
I  do — what  ought  I  to  do  for  you  ? " 

The  terrible,  hopeless  sadness  of  her  voice 
pierced  his  heart  as  she  said,  "  My  heart  is 
dying  within  me.  I  implore  you  to  tell  me 
the  truth ;  it  seems  that  they  hide  some- 
thing from  me.  Tell  me  the  truth,  and  I 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL  73 

shall  grow  sane  again.  Ibrahim,  Ibrahim, 
what  has  become  of  Osman  ?  Where  is 
he?" 

And  then,  in  the  silence  that  followed,  he 
knew  that  she  was  crying.  He  thought 
even  that  he  heard  the  heavy  tears  fall  one 
by  one  from  those  beautiful  eyes  on  to  the 
ground. 

"  Those  pretty  blue  flowers  will  open 
under  those  tears,  and  I — I  cannot  pick 
them,"  he  said  to  himself. 

The  thought  of  her  misery  and  his  own 
unhappy  life  so  moved  him  that,  without 
thinking  of  what  he  was  saying,  he  told  her 
what  all  her  world  had  kept  from  her — 
namely,  the  arrest  of  Osman  Bey  for  high 
treason,  and  the  clemency  shown  by  the 
Sultan,  who,  instead  of  ordering  perpetual 
imprisonment,  had  exiled  him  to  Bagdad. 


EMINE  sent  a  messenger  to  her  husband 
to  know  what  were  his  intentions  and 
wishes,  with  the  result  that  he  sent  back 
word,  imploring  her  to  come  to  him. 
So,  braving  the  fatigue  and  dangers  of 
the  long  journey,  she  joined  him  at 
Bagdad. 

There,  after  a  considerable  period  of 
depression  and  uuhappiness,  Osnian  gradu- 
ally began  to  find  again  some  pleasure 
in  life,  and  with  him  it  took  the  form 
of  falling  desperately  in  love  with  Alie, 
a  slave  that  his  wife  had  bought  on  her 

74 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL  75 

arrival.  He  entirely  altered  his  mode 
of  life,  and  became  the  most  peaceable 
of  Musulmcn.  Transformed  by  the  love 
he  had  for  this  slave,  and  under  the 
influence  of  her  advice,  he  frankly  told 
his  wife  that  he  loved  Alie  with  a  passion 
he  felt  would  never  alter,  and,  kissing 
her  hands,  begged  her  forgiveness  for 
the  wrongs  he  had  done  her  and  for 
what  he  was  doing  now. 

A  cold  look  of  disdain  was  the  only 
answer  she  gave  him.  In  the  long  weary 
hours  she  passed  alone,  fimine  suffered 
intensely,  and  sat  motionless  by  the  hour, 
the  bitter  tears  falling  behind  her  veil. 
She  tried  to  make  up  her  mind  to  some 
definite  action.  For  one  moment  she 
thought  of  selling  the  girl,  but  her 
instinctive  generosity  made  her  repel 


76  THE   WOMAN   OP  THE   HILL 

the  temptation  that  so  strongly  assailed 
her. 

Not  wishing  to  suffer — indeed,  feeling 
that  she  would  be  unable  to  bear  the 
tortures  that  Osman  inflicted  on  her — 
she  took  her  courage  in  both  hands 
and  decided  to  ask  for  a  divorce  and 
to  return  to  her  uncle. 

At  her  request  the  Iman  of  Bagdad 
came  to  pronounce  the  decree.  On  hear- 
ing his  steps  approaching  the  portiere 
behind  which  she  was  to  stand  hidden 
from  his  eyes,  her  heart  beat  so  frightfully 
in  her  grief  that  she  thought  she  would 
be  unable  to  pronounce  the  words  of 
renouncement  necessary. 

She  managed,  however,  to  whisper 
them  without  crying,  holding  herself 
erect ;  then  drawing  the  slave  Alie  (whom 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL  77 

she  had  insisted  upon  being  present) 
towards  her,  she  took  her  by  the  hand, 

*, 

and  asked  the  Iman  through  the  curtain 
whether  Osman  was  near  him,  and 
getting  an  answer  in  the  affirmative,  she 
said  in  her  slow,  grave  voice,  full  of 
sadness,  "  I  wish  to  assist  at  the  marriage 
of  Osman  with  my  slave,  to  whom  I  now 
give  her  freedom.  I  pray  that  you  will 
marry  them  in  my  presence." 

The  Iman,  through  the  curtain,  took 
hold  of  the  slave's  hand,  and  turning 
first  to  Osman,  and  then  towards  her  who 
remained  invisible,  said,  "  God  is  merciful, 
and  I  unite  you  two  before  Him." 

fimine'  shortly  afterwards  left  Bagdad, 
her  conscience  at  rest,  but  feeling  that  never 
again  could  her  heart  ever  beat  for  man. 


78  THE   WOMAN   OF   THE   HILL 

She  reached  her  uncle's  house  early 
one  morning,  just  as  the  sun  was  rising, 
and  throwing  scarlet  and  orange  streaks 
like  ribbons  of  blood  across  the  sky  and 
sea.  Having  pushed  softly  open  the 
great  garden  door,  she  stood  for  a  moment 
bathed  in  the  crimson  and  gold  light ;  then 
crossing  the  grass,  spangled  with  a  thousand 
fallen  jasmine  blossoms,  she  slowly  climbed 
the  white  marble  steps  in  the  silent,  sleep- 
ing garden  that  led  to  the  room  of  her 
uncle.  For  an  instant  she  stood  motion- 
less, with  a  sort  of  terror  at  her  heart,  then 
letting  fall  her  gold- embroidered  tcharchaf, 
she  stood  before  him. 

The  gentle  kindness  of  his  great  sad 
eyes  disarmed  her,  and  melted  her  heart. 
Running  to  him,  and  hiding  her  face  in 
his  white  cloak,  she  burst  into  tears. 


CHAPTER  IX 


A  WHOLE  year  had  passed  since  the 
divorce  between  Osman  and  Emine. 
Spring  was  on  the  earth,  and  under  the 
dazzling  glory  of  the  blue  sky  a  wonderful 
peace  seemed  to  lie  over  the  country 
round,  and  on  the  Bosphorus,  that  stretched 
out  towards  the  Dardanelles.  The  boat- 
men, floating  on  the  waters,  were  singing 
the  long  sweet  songs  in  minor  keys  that 
struck  the  heart  with  infinite  sadness. 

As  the  Spring  had  burst  upon  the 
world,  making  it  beautiful  once  more 
with  its  covering  of  flowers  and  scented 

79 


80  THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL 

air,  fimine"s  heart  awoke  from  its  long 
stupor,  and  a  desire  seized  her  to  do 
something  with  her  life. 

Her  uncle  advised  her  to  take  a  steward 
and  one  or  two  slaves  and  instal  herself 
in  the  kiosque  that  stood  on  the  hill 
of  Anatolou-Hissar,  and  to  try  and  tnkc 
some  interest  in  the  monastery  that 
he  was  having  built  not  far  from  there. 
It  was  there  he  intended  that  the  dervish 
Saadetdin  should  live  and  direct  the 
theological  studies  of  the  young  and 
poor  that  he  took  under  his  protection. 

This  property  was  looked  after  by 
the  foresters  and  shepherds  who  pastured 
their  flocks  in  the  neighbourhood. 

"  I  authorize  you,  my  child,"  he  said, 
"  to  study  theology  with  the  dervish, 
if  that  is  your  wish.  Perhaps  by  these 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL  81 

means  you  will  be  able  to  give  up  your 
time  to  religion,  which  will  endow  you 
with  an  interest  in  life,  though  I  should 
much  prefer  that  you  should  rest  quietly ; 
for  the  fault  in  you  is  too  passionate  a 
nature,  which,  by  my  weakness  in  allowing 
you  to  be  educated  by  strangers,  has  only 
been  aggravated." 

For     some     time     fimine'     mi^ht    have 

O 

thought  that  theological  studies  were 
enough  to  fill  her  life,  but  the  passionate 
woman  was  always  there  and  alive  within 
her,  and  whilst  listening  to  the  saintly 
words  of  the  dervish,  her  eyes  were 
always  mentally  seeking  the  horizon.  She 
was  waiting  for  the  ideal  man  that  she 
could  love  with  all  the  passion  that  stirred 
her  heart  with  desire  and  thrilled  her 
beautiful  limbs. 


82          THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

Her  heart  was  like  some  deep  dark  pool  in 
a  dim  lighted  wood,  where  suddenly  un- 
expected things  floated  to  the  still  surface. 
She  could  no  longer  content  herself  with 
the  simple  pleasures  of  everyday  life,  but 
waited  feverishly  for  something  definite — 
strong — she  knew  not  what. 

In  her  solitary  walks  on  the  hills  she 
used  to  meet  the  shepherds  and  foresters, 
servants  of  her  uncle,  who,  at  her  approach, 
as  was  customary,  turned  their  backs  to  her, 
or  stood  still  with  their  heads  bent  till  she 
had  gone  past,  as  a  sign  of  respect. 

Sometimes  she  used  to  question  them, 
and  tried  to  interest  herself  in  their  one 
idea,  which  was  how  to  fight  best  against 
the  enemies  of  the  Sultan.  "  Soon,  without 
doubt,  they  would  cut  off  their  heads,  which 
would  be  blown  to  the  corners  of  the  earth 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL          83 

like  chaff  before  the  wind,"  they  used  to 
say. 

She  could  not  see  any  expression  on 
their  faces,  but  she  guessed  that  the  desire 
to  fight  and  conquer  for  Islam  lit  up  their 
eyes  with  a  consuming  fire,  and  she  felt 
a  pride  in  belonging  to  this  warrior  race, 
faithful  to  its  faith  and  sovereign. 

One  day,  having  seen  Hassan-agha,  the 
oldest  of  the  servants,  sitting  under  the 
white  waving  blossom  of  a  cherry-tree, 
rocking  a  child  in  a  Turkish  hammock,  she 

O  " 

went  nearer  to  him ;  but  her  little  shoes 
made  a  noise  on  the  dry  ground,  and 
Hassan  said  anxiously,  "  Emine-haneni,  I 
kiss  your  feet,  but  still  their  noise,  for 
Mahommed  sleeps." 

Mahommed  was  sleeping  under  the 
cherry-blossoms,  hung  in  red  netting,  which 


84  THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

Hassan  rocked  with  his  foot,  whilst  with 
trembling  hands  the  old  man  was  with 
care  embroidering  a  red  cypress  on  a  little 
white  woollen  stocking.  He  worked  away 
like  that,  living  in  the  certainty  that  when 
he  reached  Paradise  all  payment  would  be 
made  to  him  for  what  he  had  laboured  at 
on  earth. 

He  was  so  old  that  long  ago  all  smiles 
had  died  in  the  expression  of  the  dry, 
withered  face,  leaving  only  a  look  of 
inexpressible  sweet  resignation.  His  great 
age  and  long  service  in  the  family  allowed 
him  to  look  on  the  face  of  his  master's 
niece,  and  to  tell  her  all  the  simple  things 
that  were  in  his  mind.  He  took  off  his 
great  horn  spectacles  and  let  his  eyes  rest 
upon  her.  Seeing  that  she  glanced  down 
indifferently  on  the  sleeping  Mahommed, 


THE    WOMAN   OF   THE   HILL  85 

and  that  she  did  not  seem  disposed  to  talk 
to  him  about  the  child,  he  began  singing 
softly  to  himself  with  a  trembling  cracked 
voice. 

"  The  butterfly  has  come  and  laid  the 
heart  of  flowers  on  your  lips,  Mahommed; 
the  bee  has  come  to  buzz  round  your  brow, 
Mahommed  ;  sleep,  essence  of  my  soul,  for 
the  bee  buzzes  ;  your  eyes,  when  they  open, 
illumine  the  earth,  Mahommed  ;  your  mouth 
is  a  ripe  fruit,  Mahommed ;  the  heavy 
sweat  shall  pour  down  from  your  brow  in 
battle,  Mahommed  :  sleep." 

At  these  words  Emine  looked  at  the 
child,  and  saw  the  damp  on  its  forehead, 
and.  taking  from  her  breast  her  soft  warm 

*  O 

handkerchief,  she  leant  over  the  sleeping 
child  and  wiped  the  drops  from  its 
temples. 


86  THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

"  Its  soul  rests,  whilst  its  skin  weeps," 
she  said,  gravely,  whilst  looking  on 
Maliomnied's  face,  which  she  thought  quite 


"  Yes,"  murmured  Hassan,  "  the  spirit 
of  the  future  warrior  evaporates  from  his 
body.  See  the  essence  of  his  soul  which 
rises,  and  will  sow  the  skies  with  golden 
and  rose-coloured  clouds  —  it  is  beautiful,  is 
it  not?" 

Emine  turned  and  leant  against  the 
trunk  of  the  tree,  admiring  the  richness 
and  imaginative  powers  of  the  poor  old 
man,  and  in  her  dream  her  mind  wandered 
away  over  the  country,  like  an  adder  that 
slips  through  the  grass  and  ferns  in  a 
wood.  She  sighed  deeply  and  uncon- 
sciously, wrapped  in  the  past. 

The    old    servant   began    to  embroider  a 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL          87 

blue  tortoise  beside  the  red  cypress.  In 
the  profound  silence  they  heard  the  sheep 
munching  the  grass  with  quick,  crisp 
sounds ;  and  two  swallows  circled  low, 
followed  by  their  blue  shadows  as  they 
skimmed  over  the  flower-studded  grass. 
In  the  soft  fragrant  air  and  over  the 
white  hanging  cherry-blossoms,  a  calm,  pure 
voice  rose,  singing,  imploring,  begging 

Emine"  suddenly  felt  that  her  heart  was 
trembling,  beating  like  the  wings  of  a 
caged  bird,  and  she  looked  enquiringly  at 
Hassan-agha. 

"  It  is  the  woman  of  the  hill — the 
courtesan  calling  to  the  passers-by,"  ex- 
plained the  old  man.  "  She  has  come  back, 
and  will  sing  every  evening  on  the  ruined 
wall  belonging  to  your  Excellencies.  After 
all,  her  mission  to  the  world  is  not  a  sin, 


88  THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL 

for  it  is  not  good  for  men  to  live  entirely 
alone  on  the  hills.  Her  name  is  Leila,  and 
Mahommed,  here,  is  her  son." 

With  a  sort  of  instinct  to  ward  off 
disagreeable  and  unclean  words,  Emine* 
drew  her  yellow  silk  cloak  more  closely 
round  her,  and  Hassan  was  silent. 

Presently,  looking  out  vaguely  over  the 
distant  green  country,  she  said  quietly, 
"  Why  did  not  one  of  you  marry  the  mother 
of  Mahommed?" 

He  answered  slowly,  "  It  has  been 
discovered  that  when  you  graft  a  cherry- 
tree  with  various  sorts  of  cherries,  the 
fruit  bears  various  scents,  and " 

"  Say  no  more — I  understand,"  she 
murmured,  drawing  the  yellow  silk  even 
more  tightly  round  her. 

"  Look,  Excellency,"  said  Hassan,  leaning 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL  89 

over  the  sleeping  child,  "see  on  his  little 
forehead  the  obstinate  determination  to 
fight  against  and  exterminate  the  enemies 
of  the  Sultan.  In  him  will  be  con- 
centrated all  the  warlike  qualities  of 
several  generations.  He  has  the  innate 
desire  to  suffer  and  die  for  Islam.  From  his 
earliest  infancy  he  moved  his  arms  as  if 
cutting  off  the  heads  of  thousands ;  it  is 
wonderful.  His  body  is  but  eight  years 
old,  but  his  pride  is  of  centuries." 

She  listened  no  longer. 

"  iCmiiie-hanem,  your  soul  floats  out 
following  your  eyes,  which  wander  as  if 
begging  for  love,  and  you  listen  to  me  no 
longer,"  he  added,  rather  severely,  hurt  by 
the  inattention  of  his  mistress. 

She  blushed  faintly  and  tried  to  look 
interested. 


90 

"  Mahommed  already  learns  to  recite 
verses  on  the  beauty  of  the  Sultans.  He 
knows  that  their  faces  are  magnificent,  and 
that  their  brows  are  like  the  quarters  of  the 
moon  ;  he  knows  their  eyes  are  like  two 
drops  of  azure  fallen  into  a  field  of  sacred 
lilies." 

This  was  too  much  for  Emine,  who  liked 
descriptions  to  be  exact,  for  she  inter- 
rupted him,  saying,  "  But  our  well-be- 
loved sovereign  has  large  black  eyes." 

"  Effendim/'  he  retorted,  more  severely, 
"  our  fathers  have  always  seen  the  faces 
of  the  Sultans  as  we  have  been  taught  to 
describe  them,  arid  thus  they  will  always 
oee  them." 

She  bent  her  head,  feeling  that  she  had 
been  imprudent,  for  beliefs  are  delicate 
birds,  and  if  they  are  driven  far  from  the 


91 

nest  they  change  into  birds  of  prey.  She 
wished  to  move  away,  but  he  went  on,  "  I 
forgot  to  tell  your  Excellency  that  I  met 
Ibrahim  Bey  this  morning,  who  was  looking 
for  you.  He  seemed  much  irritated  about 
something,  and  his  sword  made  a  great 
clatter  against  the  side  of  his  horse  as  he 
galloped  off.  He  is  a  fine  soldier,  but — "  and 
he  dropped  his  voice,  looking  vaguely  into 
the  distance  with  the  chill  eyes  of  a  seer, 
"  above  his  brow  1  saw  a  bloody  cloud." 

An  odd  sensation  of  distant  trouble 
seized  fimine,  and  she  stood  up,  struck  with 
a  mortal  fear  of  some  unknown  thing.  A 
thousand  confused  noises  beat  in  her  ears, 
but  fighting  down  this  inexplicable  terror 
she  walked  away  in  the  direction  of  the 
monastery,  where  she  thought  she  might 
learn  the  reason  of  Ibrahim  seeking  her  out. 


92  THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

It  was  he  himself  that  she  found  there, 
and  not  waiting  for  her  questions,  he  turned 
his  back  to  her,  as  is  the  custom,  and  said 
in  a  strangely  altered  voice,  "I  have  just 
been  warned  that  Noureddin  Pacha  and  his 
wife  Adile-hanem  have  arrived  from  Yemen, 
and  they  intend  in  a  few  days  coming  to 
stay  in  the  house  of  our  well-loved  Cheik- 
ul-Islam.  At  all  costs  this  scandal  must  be 
averted.  Noureddin  is  a  wretch,  who,  since 
his  stay  in  Europe,  has  learnt  what  he 
calls  '  liberal  ideas,'  a  tissue  of  lies  and 
infamous  things  that  he  preaches  to  our 
soldiers  since  his  return  to  Turkey. 
Secretly  he  is  demoralizing  the  army, 
teaching  the  soldiers  to  deny  the  exist- 
ence of  a  God.  He  conspires  against  the 
Sultan  ;  and  that  that  atheist  should  live 
under  the  roof  of  the  chief  of  our  saered 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL  93 

religion  is  a  sacrilege.  I  will  strangle  him 
with  my  own  hands  sooner  than  he  should 
cross  the  threshold  of  our  dwelling." 

His  eyes  glittered,  and  he  feverishly 
ground  his  teeth,  as  if  ready  to  tear  out 
with  them  the  hearts  of  the  would-be 
destroyers  of  their  ancient  traditions. 

Emine  was  going  to  speak  when  he 
interrupted  her  quickly.  "Be  silent,"  he 
said,  speaking  as  familiarly  as  when  they 
were  children.  "  I  know  you  are  going  to 
say  I  have  made  a  mistake ;  no — what  I 
know  I  am  certain  about,  for  I  belong  to 
a  secret  brotherhood,  which,  from  India  to 
Morocco,  follows  the  minds  of  Musulmen. 
We  have  watched  over  Noureddin,  and  if 
that  young  general  does  not  return  to  his 
God  and  sovereign,  I  will  kill  him ;  I  swear 
it  at  the  foot  of  this  monastery  before  you." 


94          THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

He  moved  away  without  wishing  to 
listen  to  what  she  would  say.  She  stood 
still,  watching  his  magnificent  warlike 
figure  go  down  the  hill,  till  only  his 
scarlet  fez  was  in  sight. 

"Above  his  brow  I  saw  a  bloody  cloud," 
she  murmured,  half  aloud,  repeating  the 
words  of  the  old  man  Hassan. 

The  setting  sun  threw  a  purple  glow  over 
the  Bosphorus,  and  a  flock  of  sea-birds 
plunged  down  into  its  calm  waters ;  then 
floating  up  into  space,  their  wings  seemed 
steeped  in  the  blood-red  glow  which  came 
from  the  horizon.  Their  shrill  cries 
attracted  her  attention.  A  sudden  fear 
seized  her,  and  she  cried  aloud,  "Allah! 
why,  0  Allah  !  do  my  eyes  see  everywhere 
the  stain  of  red  ?  " 


CHAPTER  X 

SHE  walked  away  and  entered  the  garden 
of  the  monastery.  Here,  under  a  great 
tree,  the  dervish  Saadetdin  was  sitting  in 
an  attitude  of  marvellous  immobility. 

On  an  immensely  high  hat  of  grey  felt, 
upright  like  a  chimney,  sparrows,  swollen 
with  their  own  importance,  jumped  about, 
sometimes  pecking  at  his  nose,  so  sure  were 
they  of  their  immunity.  They  twittered 
and  fought  on  his  enormous  stomach,  and 
the  unhappy  dervish,  being  afraid  of 
alarming  his  little  companions,  sweated 
blood  and  water  on  trying  to  stifle  his 

95 


96  THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

heavy  breathing,  which  made  his  body  rise 
and  fall  like  the  swell  of  the  sea. 

At  ^mine's  sudden  entrance  the  birds 
all  flew  away,  whilst  the  dervish  glanced 
reproachfully  at  her.  Seeing  that  she 
remained  silent,  he  thought  that  from 
politeness  he  should  begin  the  conversation. 
"  I  think,"  he  said,  with  dignity,  "  that  the 
likeness  of  celestial  distractions  is  reflected 
in  the  pleasures  of  country  life.  The 
sparrows  eat  the  cherries  from  the  trees 
which  I  cultivate  with  great  care  in  boxes, 
so  as  to  eat  the  fruit  myself  before  the 
month  of  May.  I  know,  of  course,  that 
people  drive  away  these  little  birds, 
notwithstanding  that  they  must  live.  On 
the  other  hand  I  beg  you  to  observe 
that  my  cherry  trees  are  about  to  blush 
like  an  unveiled  virgin,  and  you  will 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THK   HILL  97 

understand  how  annoying  it  is  to  me 
to  see  my  fruit  eaten.  Nevertheless  things 
must  follow  the  course  of  nature,  and 
I  prefer  to  live  in  peace  with  these  little 
pillagers  rather  than  to  see  them  fly 
away." 

Understanding  from  her  silence  that  fimine 
was  not  inclined  to  peaceful  conversation, 
he  rubbed  gently  his  bare  foot  with  the 
palm  of  his  hand.  He  was  beginning  to 
fear  that  she  had  reserved  a  few  agitating 
things  to  tell  him  which  would  spoil  the 
harmony  of  the  beautiful  evening,  and  he 
sighed  profoundly. 

fimine  stood  before  him   with  her  hands 
tightly  clasped. 

"My  soul  is  in  trouble,  my  father,"  she 
said. 

"  Aman  /  (My  God),"  interrupted  gravely 

7 


98          THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

the  dervish,  "  I  beg  you  will  leave  your 
soul  in  peace,  my  child." 

"I  am  afraid — Ibrahim  threatens  to  kill 
Noureddin,  and  I  dare  not  warn  my  uncle. 
His  health  has  given  us  great  anxiety  for 
some  time.  What  is  to  be  done ;  what  do 
you  think,  my  father?"  she  asked,  in  an 
anxious  tone. 

"  What  you  tell  me  breaks  my  rest," 
answered  the  dervish,  drily.  "  It  is  not 
possible — I  have  never  seen  murder  in  my 
life.  It  is  a  painful  thing,  about  which  I 
know  nothing.  This  threat  of  Ibrahim's  is 
the  result  of  the  combination  of  the  spring- 
time and  the  quickening  of  the  mad  blood 
tfhich  runs  in  the  veins  of  all  young  men 
at  this  time  of  the  year.  Do  not  be  uneasy, 

• 

my  child,  I  will  speak  to  him.  Besides, 
how  can  we  take  this  threat  seriously,  when 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL          99 

only  the  other  day  I  saw  him  miserable  at 
having  killed  a  lizard  to  please  Mohammed  ? 
He  held  it  in  his  hand,  saying  to  me,  '  See 
how  pretty  it  is,  with  its  tail  all  powdered 
with  gold ;  how  could  I  have  killed  it — 
how  could  I  have  committed  this  useless 
act  of  cruelty?'  A  man,  my  day  is  spoilt. 
And  you  believe  that  he  would  kill  a  general 
of  the  Turkish  army  ?  I  cannot  conceive 
such  a  thing  possible,  unless  we  have  reasons 
given  us  which  he  has  concealed,  for  proving 
that  Noureddin  is  really  the  demoralizer  he 
thinks." 

Feeling  that  the  interview  had  lasted 
long  enough  on  a  subject  which  he  con- 
sidered of  slight  importance,  and  damaging 
to  the  pleasure  of  country  life,  he  gazed  out 
on  the  Bosphorus,  which  lay  gleaming  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill.  Then,  more  happy  after  a 


100       THE   WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL 

short  contemplation  of  what  lay  before  him, 
he  called  gently  to  his  lambs,  which  were 
browsing  near.  He  gave  no  further  thought 
to  what  Emine'  had  confided  to  him,  for  he 
thought  he  saw  in  her  only  the  ridiculous 
exaggeration  of  European  women  who 
travelled,  and  came  out  of  curiosity  to  see, 
and  who  laughed  at  him  behind  his  back. 
Still,  though  he  tried  to  banish  it  all  from 
his  mind,  he  remained  a  little  pensive  after 
strangers'  visits,  for  as  a  rule  their  want  of 
education  did  not  wound  him,  because  those 
women  were  of  another  religion. 

O 

Presently  he  opened  a  bag  of  beautifully 
worked  leather,  and  drew  from  it  strings  of 
blue  beads,  whose  virtue  against  the  evil- 
eye  was  undoubted.  These  he  hung  round 
the  necks  of  his  lambs,  and  stood  patting 
and  caressing  their  white  fleeces,  which  in 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL       101 

some    places   he    had    dyed   with    brilliart 
colours. 


Reassured  by  the  promises  of  the  dervish, 
Emine  no  longer  thought  of  leaving  the 
kiosque,  for  they  had  arranged  that  it  was 
only  at  the  end  of  the  month  that  she  should 
return  to  her  uncle's  house.  So  she  lived 
again  her  existence  of  dreams  and  long 
solitary  walks  about  the  immense  domain  ! 
In  spite  of  herself  her  thoughts  often  turned 
to  Ibrahim,  and  seemed  to  hover  round  him, 
and  when  she  realized  how  often  he  was  in 
her  mind  she  would  blush  suddenly. 

All  this  seemed  to  her  so  little  what  it 
should  be,  that  she  made  up  her  mind  to 
look  the  other  way  whenever  she  should  see 
him  on  the  high  road,  on  horseback,  on  his 


102       THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL 

way  to  the  military  station  at  the  top  of 
the  hill. 

In  such  cases  it  is  remarkable  that 
women  often  do  exactly  the  opposite  of 
what  they  have  determined  on ;  con- 
sequently she  frequently  followed  him  with 
her  eyes ;  admiring  his  virile  beauty.  Perhaps 
what  struck  her  most  in  him  was  his  perfect 
simplicity,  and  she  felt  that  his  austerity 
and  the  restrained  passion  in  his  face  were 
mysteriously  attractive.  He  held  his  head 
high,  free  from  his  shoulders,  as  a  young 
Calife  who  glances  down  at  his  people 
prostrating  themselves.  She  acknowledged 
his  strength  of  character  to  herself,  and  in  a 
dull  half-pained  way,  felt  the  feminine  regret 
in  her  heart  that  she  was  no  longer  desired 
bv  the  man  whom  she  had  thrown  over. 

tf 

One    day,  hardly  conscious  of  what   she 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        103 

was  doing,  she  had  brushed  aside  her  veil, 
so  that  he  could  see  her  beauty ;  she  even 
called  to  him  gently ;  "  Ibrahim  !  Ibrahim  ! " 

He  passed  without  turning  his  head,  pre- 
tending to  be  unconscious  of  her  presence. 
He  no  longer  desired  her  since  she  had  be- 
longed to  another. 

She  understood  his  disgust,  and  a  shame 
seized  her,  that  she  had  wished  for  the 
kisses  of  a  man  whom  she  had  never  loved. 
In  her  sudden  feeling  of  contempt  for  herself 
she  covered  her  eyes  with  her  hand,  unable 
to  bear  the  dazzling  light  of  day  that  shone 
on  her  blushing  cheeks. 

After  that  incident  she  determined  to 
walk  always  in  another  part  of  the  domain, 
trying  to  forget  the  instinctive  and  humili- 
ating temptation  into  which  she  had  fallen. 
However,  one  day  suddenly  they  met  face 


104       THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

to  face  at  the  turn  of  a  road,  and  stood 
looking  at  each  other  in  silence,  when 
slowly  a  current  of  passion  seemed  to  surge 
up  from  one  to  the  other. 

He  looked  at  her  fixedly,  almost  cruelly, 
whilst  his  fine  passionate  eyes  seemed  to 
pierce  to  her  very  soul ;  then  he  turned  on 
his  heel,  saying  very  distinctly  and  coldly, 
"  I  would  sooner  die  than  marry  you  J " 


CHAPTER  XI 

EMINE.  having  learnt  that  it  was  the  time 

3  O 

when  the  woman  sang  on  the  hill,  went  and 
sat  down  not  far  from  the  ruined  wall. 

Leila  only  appeared  periodically,  and, 
standing  on  the  fallen  stones,  sang  her 
summons  to  the  few  people  who  passed. 
The  foresters  and  shepherds  and  men  who 
worked  and  lived  on  the  hills  came  at  her 
call ;  but  sometimes  they  threw  stones  at 
her,  not  with  evil  intentions  towards  her,  as 
they  said,  but  to  put  the  temptations  of 
the  flesh  out  of  their  reach.  She  walked 
with  great  dignity,  her  long  green  draperies 

105 


106       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

trailing  in  heavy  folds  round  her.  She  was 
so  accustomed  to  make  signs  and  gestures 
of  love,  that  even  when  quite  alone,  in 
absolute  solitude,  she  would  press  her  hand 
to  her  lips,  and  then  on  her  eyes,  which 
custom,  when  done  before  a  man,  signified, 
"  I  kiss  the  pupils  of  your  eyes."  When 
she  saw  Emine,  her  first  impulse  was  flight, 
but  the  gentle  words  which  reached  her 
from  the  niece  of  Cheik-ul-Islam  emboldened 
her  to  approach,  and  in  a  trembling  voice 
she  said : 

"  Allow  me  to  withdraw,  I  beg  of  you  ;  1 
know  who  you  arc,  and  I  am  overwhelmed 
with  confusion.  I  speak  a  language  that  you 
cannot  understand,  for  you  must  be  igno- 
rant of  the  life  that  only  the  earth  teaches." 

Emine'  smiled  kindly  at  her,  and  assured 
lier  that  she  was  well-disposed  towards  her. 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL        107 

Then  Leila,  feeling  more  at  ease,  placed 
on  the  ground  her  bundle  of  clothes,  which 
she  always  carried  with  h>er,  and  hastily  put 
on  a  pair  of  yellow  leather  shoes,  to  show  to 
Emine  how  great  an  horibur  she  considered 

the  interview  with  her  ;  then  stepping  up  to 

* 
her  with  wonderful  grace  of  movement,  she 

bent  down  and  kissed  her  hand. 

"  Perhaps  you  do  not  know,"  she  said, 
"  that  I  am  a  wandering  courtesan,  and 
that  I  belong  to  all  men ;  for  so  the  great 
teaching  wishes  it  to  be.  They  say  to  me, 
'  Come,'  and  I  go,  for  they  are  the  great 
power  that  fertilizes  the  earth." 

Seeing  that  Emine'  still  smiled,  she  let 
herself  gracefully  sink  on  the  grass  beside 
her,  forgetting  that  it  was  not  the  custom 
to  sit  down  in  the  presence  of  a  great  lady. 
She  looked  at  her  wonderingly  and  in 


108        THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL 

silence  for  some  minutes,  and  then  suddenly 
a  smile  full  of  confidence  lit  up  her  beauti- 
ful face,  with  its  deep-fringed  green  eyes. 
Her  body  and  clothes  exhaled  the  fragrance 
of  wild  thyme,  and  her  firm,  slender  limbs 
made  Emine  think  of  wild  young  animals 
that  run  wild  in  forests. 

"  I  live  always  alone,"  she  said,  with  the 
slow,  gentle  voice  of  one  beginning  a  story ; 
then  she  was  silent,  whilst  her  eyes  looked 
vaguely  over  the  country,  as  if  seeking  an 
explanation  for  the  mystery  of  her  life  from 
the  depths  of  Asia. 

"Every  night,"  she  continued,  "I  sing 
on  ruined  walls,  or  where  masses  of  stones 
are  piled  up  and  overlook  the  country.  I 
call  men  to  me,  and  when  I  hear  them  near 
me,  I  know  that  they  imagine  all  sorts  of 
wonderful  things.  Some  of  them  grow  sad, 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL        109 

and  spit  on  me,  crying, '  Get  from  our  sight, 
child  of  evil/  I  tell  you  this,"  she  ex- 
plained, fearing  that  she  had  said  too  much, 
"  because  as  you  called  me  to  you,  it  is 
because  you  wish  to  know  what  I  do.  I 
can  only  talk  to  you  of  my  life,  because  you 
are  the  first  woman  who  has  listened  to 
me  since  the  death  of  the  old  courtesan 
who  taught  me,  and  the  teaching  says 
you  must  love  all  men  because  they  are 
powerful." 

Emine  hid  her  face  in  her  hands,  filled 
with  pity  and  shame. 

"  See,"  Leila  continued,  "  there  is  only 
one  thing  that  hurts  me  in  the  tenderest 
part  of  my  heart ;  it  is  that  I  am  obliged  to 
hide  from  Mohammed  that  he  is  my  son. 
If  he  knew  it,  he  would  follow  me,  and  that 
cannot  be,  for  he  is  destined  to  fight  against 


110       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

the  enemies  of  Islam,  as  head  of  the  Sultan's 
army.  He  lives  at  present  only  amongst 
men.  Listen  to  me,  I  pray  you ;  look  into 
my  eyes ;  see  how  bright  they  are,  reflect- 
ing the  blue  of  the  skies  and  the  green 
beauty  of  earth.  Well,  for  love  of 
Mohammed  I  would  tear  them  out  myself." 

Lifting  her  arm  above  her  head,  with  the 
palm  of  the  hand  towards  the  sky,  she  took 
God  to  witness  of  her  oath.  Her  large 
loose  sleeve  and  drapery  fell  away  from  her 
shoulder  and  side,  showing  the  beautiful 
roundness  and  perfect  lines  of  her  body. 

"Are  you  happy?"  asked  Emine,  in  a 
very  low  voice. 

"I  don't  know,"  she  answered,  with  a 
smile  that  died  vaguely,  as  if  ignorant  why 
it  had  existed. 

Suddenly  she  saw  that  night  was  fulling, 


THE  WOMAN   OF   THE   HILL        111 

and  began  to  watch  for  people  passing  in 
the  dusk. 

"  You  must  leave  me,"  she  said,  in  rather 
a  hard  voice  ;  "  the  moment  has  now  come  ; 
I  hear  the  step  of  some  illustrious  person  on 
the  road  that  leads  to  the  monastery." 

At  these  words  Emine"  had  the  strongest 

O 

desire  to  tell  her  how  great  was  the  shame 
of  such  a  life,  but  before  the  absolute  uncon- 
sciousness of  ill-doinor  in  the  girl  she  felt 

O  O 

herself  powerless.  Sighing  deeply,  she  rose 
and  walked  slowly  away.  When  she  had 
gone  some  little  distance  she  turned  and 
looked  back  at  the  creature  which  had  so 
captivated  her.  She  saw  her  standing 
immovable  as  the  ruins  of  the  great  wall, 
singing ;  and  her  voice  rose  and  fell  with 
the  clear  sound  of  a  bell  on  the  evening  ?;Ir 
This  was  what  she  was  singing. 


112       THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

"  I  am  like  a  flower  with  my  petals 
closed,  0  illustrious  one  who  passes"  (all 
passers-by  were  illustrious  for  her). 

"  Do  not  go  away  without  having  tasted 
of  my  kisses." 

"  My  heart  thrilled  and  told  me  you 
were  coming." 

"  You  are  the  strength  of  the  earth,  and 
without  you  I  weep." 

"  0  illustrious  one,  come  to  me,  and  I 
shall  be  like  the  grain  of  wheat  which,  fruit- 
ful and  holy,  springs  from  the  ground  to 
nourish  men." 

Then  Emine  heard  the  savage  cry  of 
pleasure  of  the  man  who  answered  the  call 
of  the  woman,  and  in  the  profound  silence 
it  seemed  to  her  that  a  great  sadness  hung 
like  a  heavy  veil  of  mourning  over  the 
world. 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        113 

Later  Leila  came  and  sat  down  again 
beside  her,  drawing  the  folds  of  her  veil 
decently  over  her,  and  saying  : 

"  Emine'-hanem,  the  great  personage  who 
has  left  me  was  very  poor,  and  I  would  not 
take  the  little  money  he  offered  me,  for  I 
thought  that  you  would  pay  for  him. 

Ought  not  the  rich  to  come  to  the  aid  of  the 

2i) 
r^.  . 

A  tremulous,  half-sad  smile  crept  over 
Emirie"s  face,  as  vague  as  a  summer  wind 
that  scarcely  ripples  a  sleeping  lake  ;  and 
searching  for  her  purse  amongst  the  folds  of 
her  chemise,  she  hesitated  for  a  moment, 
whilst  a  burning  blush  rose  to  her  face. 
Then,  seeing  the  quiet  unconsciousness  of 
the  woman,  she  felt  an  overwhelming  pity 
for  her,  and  held  out  to  her  a  piece  of  gold. 

8 


CHAPTER  XII 

WHEN  Emine*  left  the  kiosque  to  return 
to  and  live  in  her  uncle's  house,  she 
was  surprised  to  find  how  excited  every- 
one was. 

They  knew  that  Noureddin  Pacha 
liked  good  living  and  every  sort  of 
comfort  round  him,  so  they  tried  as  well 
as  they  could  to  beautify  and  improve 
the  rooms  that  he  and  his  young  wife 
were  going  to  occupy. 

The  slaves  examined  carefully  what 
was  left  of  what  once  had  been  of  great 
beauty  and  luxury  in  the  wonderful  old 

114 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        115 

treasure  chests.  They  hung  a  golden 
portiere  over  the  entrance  to  the  rooms, 
and  surrounded  the  bed  with  mauve  silk 
gauze.  With  great  difficulty  and  care 
they  brought  two  immense  gold  lamps 
like  those  that  light  the  Sultan's  mosque, 
and  placed  them  in  the  centre  of  the 
bedroom,  throwing  over  the  bed  a  large 
silk  coverlet  embroidered  thickly  with 
flowers  in  pale  colours. 

Some  of  the  women  blushed  when  they 
thought  to  themselves  how  they  would 
have  to  appear  without  veils  before 
Noureddin  Pacha,  whom  they  knew  to 
be  a  very  handsome  man,  and  their  hands 
trembled  in  touching  and  arranging  the 
things  that  were  to  be  for  his  personal 
use. 

After  the  arrival  of  Adile"  and  Nonrcddin, 


116       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

Emind  pretended  that  her  health  was  not 
good  enough  to  allow  her  to  sit  up  at  ni.ght, 
and  obstinately  refused  to  be  present  in 
the  evening  at  the  family  gatherings  in 
the  apartments  of  Cheik-ul- Islam. 

Though  her  nearness  of  relationship 
gave  her  every  right  to  be  on  intimate 
terms  even  to  the  point  of  unveiling, 
Emine'  was  careful  never  to  be  in  her 
cousin's  rooms  when  Noureddin  returned 
from  the  War  Office,  and  she  never  took 
advantage  of  her  opportunities  to  know 
or  talk  with  him,  who  certainly  was  the 
cleverest  and  most  brilliant  of  the  young 
Turkish  generals. 

By  accident  one  day  she  met  him  in 
the  passage  that  led  from  the  garden 
to  the  harem,  and  both  stopped  for 
a  moment. 


THE   WOMAN    OF  THE   HILL        117 

Seeing  such  a  beautiful  woman  before 
him,  Noureddin  instinctively  put  his 
hand  to  his  mouth,  pretending  to  look 
the  other  way ;  but  a  feeling  of  violent 
curiosity  was  too  strong  for  him,  and 
like  two  fiery  arrows  his  eyes  looked 
straight  into  hers. 

Some  time  after  their  arrival  Adile- 
hanem  caught  a  chill  whilst  boating  on 
the  Bosphorus,  and  notwithstanding  all 
the  efforts  of  a  French  doctor  of  great 
reputation,  she  died,  leaving  all  her 
relatives  in  great  grief,  for  she  had 
become  as  gentle  and  sweet-dispositioned 
as  a  tame  dove. 

Emine*  was  much  affected  at  her  death, 
and  was  very  careful  to  avoid  meeting 
Noureddin,  who  had  not  left  the  place, 


118        THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

when  Adile  died,  at  the  particular  request 
of  Cheik-ul -Islam.  She  had  decided  not 
to  think  of  him  at  all,  and  set  herself 
to  read  severe  theological  works,  which 
must  have  bored  even  the  writers  of 
them,  in  old  days. 

Yet  the  reading  of  those  books  only 
showed  her  that  her  life  should  be  for 
the  good  of  the  earth,  and  not  only  for 
the  gain  of  heaven.  The  clever  and 
aged  saints  who  wrote  those  things  knew 
well  that  it  should  be  so,  and  smiled 
quietly  in  their  white  beards  at  the  idea 
that  their  edifying  words  would  kindle 
desires  for  creating  new  lives  in  the 
world. 

After  two  long  months  passed  in 
reading  their  exhortations  to  renounce 
human  joys,  Emine  felt  overcome  with 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        119 

a  soft  longing  for  some  other  human 
heart  to  beat  with  hers,  and  she  could 
not  help  seeing  that,  in  spite  of  all  the 
sadness  and  disappointment  she  had 
found  in  life,  that  her  beauty  was  as 
great  as  ever. 

Her    inexplicable     weakness     gave     her 
a    feelingr    of    horror    when    she    thought 

O  O 

of  it,  and  she  asked  herself  again  and 
again  how  she  could  have  wished  for 
the  caresses  and  love  of  a  man  she  did 
not  love.  What  madness  was  it  that  in- 
duced her  to  unveil  herself  before  Ibrahim, 
tempting  him  in  that  way  ?  At  times 
it  seemed  to  her  that  her  soul  and  life 
would  remain  for  ever  stained  by  that 
momentary  act.  The  remembrance  of 

«/ 

the  threats  that  Ibrahim  had  uttered 
against  Noureddin  had  almost  vanished 


120       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

from  her  mind,  for  she  thought  that 
the  state  of  excitement  had  been  calmed 
by  the  good  ad  vice  of  the  dervish. 

One  day  she  had  gone  to  the  lattice- 
door  that  divided  the  harem  from  the 
Selamlec,  and  knocked,  so  that  the  steward 
should  give  her  a  parcel  of  stuffs  she 
had  commissioned  him  to  buy,  when  the 
clear,  strong  voice  of  Ibrahim  answered  : 

"  It  is  I " ;  then  he  added,  speaking 
softly,  but  with  great  distinctness,  "  I  had 
hoped  on  returning  from  Smyrna  to  find 
that  Noureddin  was  no  longer  under 
this  sacred  roof.  I  shall  not  denounce 
him  to  Cheik-ul-Islam,  for  his  old  age 
must  pass  in  peace,  but  let  me  tell  you, 
once  more,  he  is  a  traitor,  and  conspires 
against  the  Sultan  and  our  religion. 
If  he  does  not  leave  here  I  shall  kill 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        121 

him.  Warn  him  secretly  that  his  sac- 
rilegious plans  are  discovered  by  an 
officer,  who,  instead  of  denouncing  and 
giving  him  up  to  the  just  anger  of 
the  Sultan,  will  prevent  further  scandal 
by  stopping  his  revolutionary  propaganda. 
Tell  him  that  the  hour  has  struck  when, 
to  defend  our  religion,  our  sacred  laws, 
our  traditions,  and  our  well-loved  sovereign 
against  the  cursed  plans  of  those  devils 
who  have  come  back  from  Europe,  we 
shall  be  obliged  to  commit  crimes.  He 
laughs  at  the  peace  that  till  now  has 
existed  in  our  family  dwellings ;  he  hopes 
to  escape  the  just  punishment  for  his 
ill-doing.  Tell  him  he  is  mistaken.  The 
civilization  brought  from  Europe  sows 
only  hatred  and  division  between  us. 
If  Noureddin  insists  upon  teaching  the 


122       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

Army  to  no  longer    believe   in   God,    and 
in  the  Sultan,  his    shadow    on    earth  ;  I— 
I    wish    it   to   keep    the    traditions    of  our 
race — One  of  us  will  kill  the  other." 

"  Aman,  effendim,  be  silent — cease  telling 
me  these  horrible  words  of  hate  and 
anger.  Ibrahim  !  come  back  to  your  old 
nature,  be  yourself  again,"  said  Emine, 
her  voice  trembling  with  emotion,  and 
pressing  nearer  to  the  lattice,  uncon- 
sciously almost  trying  to  break  the  frail 
wood -work -that  separated  them. 

Then  without  thinking  what  she  was 
doing,  she  ran  to  the  door  which  led  from 
the  harem  garden  to  the  Selamlee,  and 
seizing  Ibrahim  by  the  arm,  she  drew  him 
beneath  the  shadow  of  the  great  arbutus 
tree,  and  taking  his  hand  with  her  trembling 

O  O 

fingers,    she    kissed   it,    almost   religiously, 


THE   WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL        123 

begging  him  to  calm  himself,  saying, 
"  Ibrahim,  my  lamb,  be  yourself  again." 

He,  for  the  second  time  only  in  his 
life,  saw  her  entirely  unveiled,  and  looked 
at  her  critically.  He  had  thought  to 
find  her  beauty  tarnished  by  love  that 
had  treated  her  so  unkindly,  but,  glory 
to  Allah  !  he  found  her  more  beautiful 
than  he  had  dreamt  possible. 

Some  evil  spirit  seized  him,  and  he 
could  only  think  that  some  other  man 
had  kissed  her  on  those  ripe  young  lips 
and  held  her  in  passionate  embrace,  and 
suddenly  the  very  touch  of  her  became 
odious  to  him.  Drawing  his  hand  from 
Emine"s  clinging  fingers,  he  pushed  her 
gently  aside,  and  walked  away,  with  his 
heart  full  of  anger  against  fate,  and 
a  passionate  unrest  in  his  veins. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  clay  after  her  interview  with  Ibrahim, 
Emine  felt  restless  and  undecided  what 
to  do,  for  she  knew  of  no  one  in  whom 
she  could  confide  the  renewed  threats  he 
had  uttered  against  Noureddin. 

Since  the  death  of  his  daughter,  Cheik- 
ul-Islam  grew  every  day  weaker,  passing 
all  his  days  in  prayer  and  fasting ;  whilst 
his  sister,  Adevie-hanem,  lived  in  a  constant 
state  of  anxiety  at  the  increasing  expenses 
and  diminishing  income.  She  thought 
that  she  foresaw  the  ultimate  ruin  of  her 
brother,  and  the  greater  part  of  her  day 

124 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL        125 

was  spent  in  half-comic,  half-tragic  inter- 
views with  the  steward,  who  had  resigned 
himself  to  the  fact  that  it  was  only 
occasionally  that  he  could  rob  her  with 
impunity. 

Emine'  determined  to  seek  out  Noureddin 
in  his  room  late  one  evening,  when  the 
harem  should  be  asleep.  She  listened  for 
a  long  time  to  the  heavy  footsteps  of  the 
negresses,  as  they  finished  their  household 
duties  in  the  lower  part  of  the  building. 
One  of  them,  having  noticed  the  light  in 
Emine"s  room,  came  and  asked  her  if  she  were 
unwell,  adding  that  the  Pacha  alone  was 
awake  at  that  hour,  which  was  her  way 
of  telling  Emine  that  it  was  extremely 
late.  When  she  had  gone,  Emine'  put  out 
her  light,  and  with  wide-open  eyes  waited 
till  she  thought  that  all  the  slaves  would 


126       THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

be  asleep ;  then  going  Vowards  Nourecldin's 
room,  she  lifted  the  golden  portiere,  which 
a  light  wind  swelled  in  and  out  like  the 
breast  of  a  sleeping  woman. 

She  stood  motionless  trying  to  read  his 
inmost  mind,  but  his  face,  full  of  anxious 
thoughts,  and  set  with  a  slight  frown,  told 
her  nothing.  He  was  leaning  back  on  his 
divan,  one  leg  bent  under  him,  with  a 
cigar  between  his  lips,  reading  with  great 
attention  some  closely-printed  German 
writing. 

Suddenly  he  lifted  his  eyes,  and  looked 
at  her  in  astonishment.  For  an  instant  he 
seemed  undecided,  and  then,  with  a  quick 
movement,  he  let  fall  his  eye-glass,  and 
throwing  his  cigar  through  the  window 
that  opened  into  the  garden,  he  rose  and 
went  towards  her  with  a  sweet  caressing 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL        127 

smile.  He  drew  her  to  the  divan  and 
begged  her  to  sit  down. 

He  was  secretly  uneasy  at  her  coming 
to  him  like  that,  as  it  was  entirely  contrary 
to  the  customs  of  Turkish  life,  but  his  face 
only  expressed  the  man  who  was  ready 
to  listen  to  the  words  of  the  woman  he 
loved. 

"Look,"  said  Emine,  "at  that  cypress  in 
front  of  your  window ;  see  how  it  points 
straight  to  heaven  like  a  minaret.  Do  you 
understand  my  soul!  what  it  teaches  you? 
It  is  the  emblem  of  Islam." 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  we  are  going  to 
have  a  very  serious  conversation,"  he  said 
lightly  in  French,  with  a  frivolous  air  of 
a  pleasure-seeking  Parisian. 

He  again  took  her  hand  and  kissed  it1, 
then  putting  up  his  eye-glass,  he  gazed  at. 


128        THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

her  with  such  a  look  of  intense  admiration 
that  she  hung  her  head. 

"  I  also,"  she  said,  "  I  know  how  to  talk 
in  that  frivolous  way.  Mademoiselle  de 
Mericourt  taught  me  how  to  avoid  serious 
questions  by  talking  nonsense.  But  please 
allow  me  to  tell  you  what  I  have  to  say 
in  Turkish — as  well  as  I  can.  Noureddin 
Pacha," — and  she  paused  for  a  moment  as  if 
the  weight  of  what  was  on  her  mind  was 
too  heavy  for  her  to  bear, — "your  plot  is 
discovered,  and  who  knows,  perhaps  even  to- 
morrow you  may  be  denounced ;  you  know 
what  punishment  would  be  in  store  for  you." 

She  looked  at  him.  All  light  had  gone 
out  of  his  face.  He  shut  his  eyes  and 
became  deadly  pale.  He  never  moved,  and 
scarcely  seemed  to  breathe  through  his 
trembling  lips. 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        129 

Then  she  felt  the  certainty  that  he  was 
guilty,  and  she  whispered  quickly,  breath- 
lessly, as  if  she  were  an  accomplice  :  "His 
Majesty  knows  nothing — yet.  You  may 
save  yourself." 

He  looked  at  her  with  his  lifeless  eyes. 
Rising,  she  moved  off  a  few  steps,  standing 
erect  between  the  two  immense  gold  chan- 
deliers in  which  were  burning  yellow  waxen 
torches.  Their  flickering  flames  threw  a 
wonderful  light  into  her  eyes  and  on  her 
orange-coloured  draperies  that  hung  in 
heavy  folds  to  the  ground.  Her  dazzling 
white  arms  lay  inert  against  her  sides,  and 
no  unstudied  attitude  and  grace  could  so 
well  have  expressed  the  unhappy  and 
bitter  weariness  that  had  penetrated  her 
heart.  In  that  moment  of  profound 

misery  she  asked  of   God  what  sin  in  her 

9 


130       THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

life  had  condemned  her  to  the  punishment 
of  having  loved  two  men  unworthy  of 
being  Musulmen.  She  felt  that  to  save 
one  she  loved  to-day,  she  was  ready  to 
sell  bits  of  her  own  body  to  the  men 
who,  in  the  evening,  sold  the  cut-up  flesh 
of  lambs  in  the  streets. 

Hiding  her  face  in  her  hands,  she  trembled 
when  she  thought  of  the  sort  of  death  that 

O 

was  awaiting  Noureddin.  Then  throwing 
away  her  fears  of  the  terrible  thing  that 
seemed  to  hang  over  both  of  them,  she  smiled 
at  him,  whilst  a  cry  like  that  of  a  wounded 
bird  escaping,  came  from  her  pale  lips. 

She  swayed  slightly,  and  he,  springing 
forwards,  took  her  in  his  arms,  and  laid  her 
almost  unconscious  on  the  bed,  where  she 
lay  like  a  beautiful  lily  placed  on  the  steps 
of  a  sacred  altar. 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        131 

The  Musulman  sense  of  decency  was  not 
dead  in  him,  and  over  her  feet  he  laid  the 
folds  of  orange  silk  that  floated  round  her 
as  she  lay  there  almost  fainting,  like  a 
carved  recumbent  figure  on  a  Christian 
tomb. 

Then  he  turned  to  the  window  and 
looked  in  silence  out  into  the  heavy-scented 
brooding  night.  Glancing  round  presently, 
he  saw  her  eyes  were  open,  and  leaning 
towards  her  he  said,  "  I  was  afraid  a  little 
while  ago — I  was  afraid  of  the  horrible 
and  cruel  death  which  perhaps  must  yet 
come  to  me.  You  must  think  badly  of  me, 
but  I  must  own  that  I  fear  exile  and  moral 
tortures.  Can  the  bravest  of  men  speak 
openly  about  the  gospel  of  revolutionary 
ideas  ?  How  can  the  idea  of  freedom  reach 
the  hearth  of  those  that  sleep  in  ignorance 


132       THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL 

if  their  watchful  guardians  are  warned. 
You  know  well,  that  one  cannot  fight  His 
Majesty  on  equal  terms.  For  God's  sake 
do  not  accuse  me  of  cowardice  ;  it  would 
break  my  heart.  For  a  long  time  past  my 
nights  are  broken  with  frightful  dreams, 
and  when  I  wake  to  the  day  I  see  nothing 
but  the  sad  things  of  life,  that  would  make 
one  die  like  a  carrier  under  immense  weights; 
which  crush  the  body  but  leave  the  spirit 
free.  Try  and  understand  that  if  for  a 
time  my  ideas  and  plans  sow  disorder,  out 
of  the  storm  and  wreck  liberty  for  all  will 
be  born.  Is  it  possible,  that  for  all  time 
men  shall  bend  like  a  cursed  flock  under 
the  yoke  to  sovereigns  who  pretend  that 
they  are  bound  to  God  with  a  sacred  oath, 
so  that  they  can  the  easier  terrorize  genera- 
tion after  generation  of  these  wretched 


THE   WOMAN    OF   THE    HILL        133 

people  who  bend  before  them  in  a  bloody 
sweat  ?  " 

He  stopped  for  a  moment  breathless, 
and  skaking  with  emotion,  wiping  the 
perspiration  from  his  forehead. 

"  The  worst  part  of  it,  and  the  most 
cruel,"  said  Emine,  gently,  "  is,  that  you 
arc  the  son-in-law  of  Cheik-ul-Islam,  and 
that  you  take  his  hospitality  so  as  to  shelter 
yourself  the  more  completely  from  sus- 
picion. I  find  that  cowardly  and  hypo- 
critical." 

Noureddin  quivered  as  if  he  had  been 
struck,  and  for  a  moment  a  look  of 
terrible  anguish  passed  over  her  face. 

"  I  understand,"  he  said,  bravely.  "  I 
acknowledge  that  in  that  I  am  to  blame, 
but  I  am  fond  of  my  father-in-law  with 
real  affection,  and  in  his  failing  health 


134       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

how  can  I  pain  him  by  refusing  the  one 
thing  he  begs  of  me — namely,  to  live  with 
him  ? " 

"Never  mind — you  are  a  stranger  to 
us,  Noureddin.  Your  heart  does  not 
understand  ours ;  you  are  like  some  deadly 
plant  cultivated  in  a  Christian  capital  and 
transplanted  into  a  beautiful  field  of 
wheat,  which  by  the  next  harvest  you  will 
have  devastated.  Alas !  it  is  necessary 
that  the  hand  of  the  labourer  should  root 
you  up,  and  throw  you  far  away  on  to 
the  high  road,  where  the  passers-by  shall 
trample  on  you,  not  even  recognizing  you." 

He  answered  half  under  his  breath 
like  a  child  who  begs  an  angel  to 
change  his  tears  into  flowers :  "  Give  me 
your  lips — for  the  words  that  come  from 
them  are  too  cruel." 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL       135 

She  tried  to  resist  him  as  he  leant  over 
her,  and  pushed  him  back  with  all  her 
strength.  Suddenly  she  pressed  her  lips 
to  his  and  put  her  arms  about  his  neck. 
They  looked  at  each  other  in  silence,  and 
he  asked  her,  "  From  whom  do  you  get  your 
information  about  me,  and  what  I  do  ? " 

She,  who  had  just  lost  her  soul  for  this 
man,  suddenly  drew  herself  back  with  a 
shiver,  as  if  she  had  awakened  to  find 
herself  in  a  tomb,  and  with  her  eyes  on 
his,  she  said,  in  a  strangely  monotonous 
voice :  "  It  is  useless  to  ask  me  that,  for  I 
shall  never  tell  you  the  name  of  the 
person  who  has  accused  you  to  me." 

"But  you  are  mad  to  wish  to  hide  :t 
from  me.  How  can  I  defend  myself  or 
rid  me  of  my  enemy  who  tells  you  that 
he  has  not  yet  betrayed  me  ?" 


136       THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

"No — no,"  she  said,  "he  is  incapable  of 
playing  the  spy.  He  will  kill  )TOU,  perhaps, 
but  he  will  not  betray  your  secret." 
"  Noureddin,"  she  added  with  her  low 
sweet  voice,  laying  her  little  hand  on  his 
shoulder,  "  I  love  you  with  my  body  and 
soul,  and  I  cannot  but  help  admiring 
you,  for  you  are  convinced  of  the  justice 
of  your  beliefs — but  listen  to  me.  For 
God's  sake  leave  this  house  to-morrow, 
go  to  Stamboul  and  keep  a  watch  upon 
your  words.  Above  all,  destroy  quickly 
all  your  papers  that  are  in  the  Selamlec. 
Then  if  you  cease  spreading  your  revolu- 
tionary ideas,  I  swear  to  you  your  life 
will  be  saved." 

"  Ah ! "  he  said,  gently,  stooping  and 
kissing  her  again,  "  this  is  all  the  more 
complicated  by  your  refusing  to  tell  me 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        137 

the  name  of  the  man  who  denounces  me. 
When  I  think  that  two  of  my  dearest 
friends  will  be  compromised  with  me,  it 
is  terrible.  I  will  go  this  moment  and 
destroy  all  my  papers  in  the  Selamle'c. 
Stay  here ;  I  shall  be  back  before  day- 
light ;  you  will  be  able  to  return  to  your 
rooms  without  having  been  seen.  Do  not 
leave  my  room,  I  beseech  you,  and  think- 
well  how  imprudent  it  is  to  hide  the  name 
of  my  enemy  from  me." 

Buttoning  his  tunic,  with  all  the  care 
of  an  officer  who  is  going  on  parade,  and 
walking  with  military  stiffness,  he  left  the 
room,  going  in  the  direction  of  the 
Selamle'c. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

WHEN  lie  had  gone,  Emine  went  to  the 
open  window.  A  passion  flower  climbed 
and  twisted  in  a  thousand  wreaths  round 
the  marble  columns,  and  she  drew  a 
cluster  of  mauve  blossoms  and  held  them 
against  her  burning  face. 

Once  again  the  joy  of  loving  enthralled 
her,  and  a  little  weary  with  such  keen 
emotions,  though  happy  in  a  sense  that  life 
and  the  interests  of  life  had  come  back  to 
her,  she  lay  down  on  the  bed.  Hardly  had 
she  stretched  out  her  lithe  young  form 
when  love  and  all  that  made  love  beautiful 

138 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        139 

seemed  to  mount  in  swelling  waves  round 
her,  and  her  eyelids  drooped  under  the 
influence  of  the  waking  dream.  Then 
pulling  the  gauze  curtains  close,  like  a 
tired  child  she  drifted  into  sleep. 

She  had  scarcely  slept  when  the  most 
horrible  dream  assailed  her.  She  held  in 
her  hands  the  bloody  head  of  Noureddin, 
that  the  Sultan  had  decapitated,  and  her 
screams  were  stifled  by  some  fearful 
weight  at  her  heart. 

Waking  in  an  agony  of  terror,  she  sat 
up,  saying  half  aloud  over  and  over  again, 
"  Bis  millah "  (In  the  name  of  God),  to 
drive  away  the  terrible  vision.  Then 
taking  the  long  masses  of  her  beautiful 
hair,  she  twisted  it  round  the  top  of  her 
head,  fastening  it  with  the  diamond  pins 
that  lay  scattered  over  the  pillows. 


140       THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

Some  slight  noise  behind  her  made  her 
turn,  and  through  the  curtains  of  the  bed 
she  saw  a  man  climb  in  through  the 
window.  In  one  of  his  hands  was  a  trail  of 
passion  flowers,  in  the  other,  two  gleaming 

short  swords.     He  looked  round  him,  then 

i 

walked  straight  to  the  bedside,  and  said  in 
a  low,  clear  voice,  "  Noureddin  Pacha— 
Noureddin  Pacha — the  time  has  come. 
Your  soul  of  an  atheist  must  return  to 
hell,  whence  it  came;  I  have  two  swords 
with  me,  and  one  of  us  must  kill  the  other. 
I  do  not  wish  to  assassinate  you,  so  we 
will  fight." 

If  Emine's  heart  died  within  her,  her 
brain  at  least  remained  clear,  and  remem- 
bering the  laws  of  decency,  and  those 
divine,  which  forbid  men  to  look  at  a 
woman  entirely  nude,  or  to  toneh  her,  she 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL        141 

quickly  stripped  off  her  garments,  and 
opening  widely  the  gauze  curtains,  stood 
there  in  all  her  magnificent  beauty.1 

The  man  stood  still,  gazing  at  the 
apparition,  and  then  turned  his  head  away, 
remaining  motionless,  whilst  Emine"  spoke. 

"  In  my  trouble  I  neither  recognized 
your  voice  or  face,  Ibrahim,  and  yet  my 
heart  should  have  warned  me  that  you 
alone  were  capable,  like  a  thief  in  the  night, 
to  propose  fighting  with  an  undefended 
man.  You  are  wrong ;  this  is  not  Nour- 


1  Turks  have  a  respectful  fear  of  feminine  nudity,  and 
so  great  is  it,  that  during  a  famous  insurrection  in  Bosnia 
all  the  soldiers  ruslied  to  the  tent  of  Nedjib  Pacha  to  kill 
him,  and  his  wife  (whom  I  know),  remembering  this 
feeling,  pulled  open  the  portiere  of  the  tent  and  stood 
there  nude  before  them.  Immediately  ashamed,  they  ran 
away,  and  the  Pacha  was  saved.  Madame  Nedjib  Pacha 
used  to  fight  beside  her  husband  dressed  as  a  man.  Nedjib 
ultimately  died  whilst  ambassador  at  Madrid  — AUTHOR'S 
NOTE. 


142       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL 

eddin's  room,  it  is  mine.  Besides,  he  is 
not  the  man  to  hide  himself;  you  could 
kill  him  in  broad  daylight  on  the  roads  lit 
by  the  glory  of  the  sun.  You  could  hide 
behind  a  wall  or  tree,  then  spring  on  him 
and  murder  him.  How  do  I  know  ?  I  have 
not  your  mind,  oh  miserable  and  vile  one. 
See  how  you  tremble ;  no  wonder  you  hang 
your  head  with  shame.  Even  to-night, 
when  the  flowers  sleep  in  darkness  under 
the  pale  stars,  you  are  ready  to  trample 
over  the  naked  body  of  the  woman  you  love 
to  accomplish  the  death  of  Noureddin ;  for 
whilst  a  breath  is  left  in  my  breast,  to 
which  you  dare  not  lift  your  eyes,  I  will 
protect  him  against  your  hatred." 

"  You  are  mistaken,"  he  said,  sullenly. 
"  Many  a  long  and  sad  day  has  passed 
since  I  loved  your  body.  What  makes  me 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        143 

tremble  is  the  cruelty  that  your  heart 
showed  mine,  and  my  resolution  is  stronger 
than  human  considerations.  If  I  am 
obliged  to  walk  over  your  body,  Emine, 
over  your  heart,  I  will  do  it,  if  necessary  to 
exterminate  the  man  who  seeks  to  kill 
belief  in  God." 

She  stretched  out  her  arms  to  him,  and 
cried  in  a  faint  voice,  "  Ibrahim,  I  implore 
you.  Do  you  remember  nothing  of  our 
happy  youth  ?  Were  your  lips  never 
against  mine  ?  Did  my  fingers  not  press 
down  your  eyelids  so  that  I  might  kiss 
them  the  longer  ?  Were  you  not  the 
essence  of  my  life,  Ibrahim  ?  pupil  of  my 
eyes,  sweet  dream  of  my  childhood  ?  Why 
have  you  become  now  a  man  who  commits 
the  sacrilege  of  entering  the  harem  of 
Cheik-ul-Islam  like  a  thief  at  night,  with 


144       THE  WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL 

swords  in  your  hand  ?  Aman  Effandim, 
I  entreat  you,  leave  this  room,  fly  from 
here." 

She  moved  towards  him,  standing  between 
the  great  gold  chandeliers  with  their  flaming 
yellow  wax.  So  close  to  him  she  stood 
that  he  almost  felt  the  warmth  of  that 
wonderful  body,  gleaming  like  satin  in  the 
flickering  lights. 

In  a  weak  broken  voice  he  murmured, 
"  They  are  lost  words  that  fall  from  your 
lips,  they  lose  their  way,  and  do  not  reach 
my  heart." 

Forgetting  that  she  was  uncovered,  he 
turned  his  head  to  meet  her  eyes,  but  saw 
only  the  dazzling  beauty  of  her  skin,  which 
he  had  pictured  to  himself  stained  with  the 
kisses  of  Osman.  But  how  beautiful  it  was 
—how  beautiful ;  surely  like  that  of  those 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        145 

mystical  creatures  he  had  heard  of,  that,  in 
dim  paths,  in  green  woods  at  the  other  side 
of  the  world,  step  out  as  radiant  visions  of 
love  to  meet  the  arms  of  travellers. 

Slowly  the  blood  mounted  to  his  head, 
till  the  veins  in  his  temples  swelled  and 
beat  fiercely.  Suddenly  he  dropped  on  his 
knees,  pressing  his  cheek  closely  to  her, 
with  thick  short  sobs.  Then  looking  up  to 
her  face,  the  current  of  his  love  seemed  to 
flow  all  over  her,  and  he  pressed  her  in  his 
strong  arras. 

Some  mysterious  life  seemed  to  spring 
into  existence  in  her  heart.  It  felt  as  if 
Ibrahim's  blood  drew  hers  to  him,  that  her 
very  body  was  melting  into  a  thousand 
particles  and  joining  his. 

Of  their   own   accord    her   arms    closed 

round     that    strong    neck,    and    her    eyes 

10 


140        THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

drooped,  though  her  whole  nature  seemed 
to  rise  and  warn  her  of  her  sin. 

He  still  sobbed,  his  head  leaning 
against  that  body,  which  he  saw  white 
and  pure  above  him. 

Seized  with  a  great  pity  for  him,  she 
drew  him  closer,  pressing  his  forehead 
against  her  soft  skin. 

O 

"  Give  up  the  idea  of  killing  Noureddin," 
she  said,  in  a  trembling  voice.  "  For 
the  sake  of  your  love  for  me,  have 
pity." 

Without  moving  his  head,  he  answered, 
slowly,  "  I  am  no  longer  free.  I  am 
bound  by  my  oath  to  a  sect,  which  is 
formed  to  fight  against  the  invasion  of 
Musulman  soil  by  the  principles  and 
morals  of  the  Western  people." 

"  Renounce  it,  Ibrahim,  I  implore  you." 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        147 

"  Aman !  peace,"  he  went  on,  without 
meeting  her  eyes.  "  Do  not  speak  ;  what 
do  you  wish  me  to  say,  when  you  stand 
here  nude  before  me,  and  that  to-morrow 

I  must  marry  you  ?  " 

• 

Ibrahim  could  not  understand  that  it 
were  possible,  having  thus  seen  a  woman, 
that  he  should  not  marry  her.  At  the 
thought  of  it  he  smiled,  like  a  child 
who,  knowing  nothing  of  life,  thought 
it  meant  happiness. 

"  Allah,  achekena "  (For  God's  sake), 
she  said,  breathlessly,  again,  "  give  up 
your  hatred  of  Noureddin." 

"  A  man  never  breaks  the  oath  he  has 
taken  to  God  and  his  sovereign.  All 
that  your  heart  says  through  your  lips 
will  be  without  strength  against  my 
resolution.  It  is  no  longer  your  soul  that 


148       THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

I    love,  it    is    your    body,    beautiful    and 
white  like  a  half-opened  flower." 

With  the  supple  movement  of  a  wild 
young  animal  in  untrodden  woods  she 
stooped  and  picked  up  one  of  the  swords 
that  Ibrahim  had  let  fall  near  him,  and 
held  it  above  her  head. 

He  showered  kisses  on  her  soft  flesh, 
and  it  seemed  to  Emine,  who  was  half 
fainting,  that  a  wave  of  love  was  breaking 
magnificently  over  his  whole  being.  Then 
with  a  sudden  revolt,  feeling  that  she 
no  longer  had  power  over  him,  she  cried, 
"I  shall  kill  you;  Allah!  I  shall  kill 
you." 

He  took  no  notice  of  her  words, 
carried  away  by  the  sweetness  of  his 
passion. 

She   looked    at    him    again,    undecided, 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        149 

and  for  the  second  time  she  felt  herself 
swayed  by  passion,  and  trembled.  Her 
eyes  became  fixed  with  a  strange  light. 
She  saw  nothing  but  the  gloom  beyond 
the  burning  lights. 

"  Renounce  your  oath,  Ibrahim,"  she 
cried,  huskily,  between  her  teeth.  "  In 
the  name  of  Allah,  renounce." 

"  Be  silent.  If  I  am  obliged  to  follow 
Noureddin  to  the  feet  of  Cheik-ul-Islam, 
1  will  kill  him." 

"  Allah  il  Allah,"  she  cried,  despairingly. 
"  It  is  I  who  will  kill  you  with  this 
sword." 

For  the  third  time  he  would  not  listen, 
and  only  held  her  the  more  closely, 
turning  his  head  back  and  closing  his 
eyes. 

She  stooped  and  kissed   his   forehead — 


the  lingering  kiss  of  farewell ;  then  drawing 
herself  up,  the  short,  sharp  sword  crashed 
with  a  sickening  noise  into  his  head  with 
a  splash  of  blood. 

With  trembling,  twitching  fingers  she 
wiped  the  blood  and  brains  from  her 
body,  which  clung  to  her  like  the  kiss 
of  the  dying  man.  Then  wrapping  her 
long  orange  cloak  round  her,  and  taking 
a  great  wax  torch  from  the  gold  stem, 
she  walked  away  into  the  darkness  of 
the  harem. 

Having  awakened  the  Hanem-effendi, 
she  told  her  of  her  horrible  act,  and, 
taking  her  by  the  hand,  led  her  back  to 
the  presence  of  the  dead. 


CHAPTER  XV 

FOR  some  time  the  two  women  remained 
impassive  and  silent,  then  sitting  down  in 
the  Oriental  fashion,  they  took  the  thought- 
ful attitude  that  their  race  takes  in  the 
presence  of  the  dead. 

The  torches  with  a  soft  light  illuminated 
the  room  like  some  sacred  place  that  was 
wrapped  in  silence. 

Emine  humbly  begged  her  mother  to  help 
her  to  drag  Ibrahim's  body  into  the  garden 
of  the  harem. 

The  Hanem-effendi  sighed  deeply,  and 
with  her  hands  laden  with  riugs,  like  a 

151 


152       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

precious  mummy,  wiped  away  the  tears  that 
ran  slowly  down  her  cheeks. 

Wrapped  in  her  intari,  woven  of  the 
delicate  grey  wool  from  Thibet  lambs,  she 
looked  like  a  being  covered  with  tho  fine 
ashes  of  burnt  wood,  which  the  slightest 

*  O 

breath  of  wind  would  scatter  into  clouds. 

She  made  no  movement,  but  said  :  "  I 
am  too  old  to  help  you  to  carry  the  body 
of  that  young  bull." 

Emine  bowed  her  head,  shivering,  and 
passed  her  hands  over  her  eyes,  then  drew 
the  folds  of  her  cloak  across  her  breast, 
looking  with  cold  inscrutable  face  on  the 
blood  which  stained  the  delicate  gilded 
matting  like  a  group  of  scarlet  poppies  in 
wheat  fields.  Suddenly  she  decided  to  carry 
the  body  into  some  dark  place.  She  tried  to 
drag  it  towards  her,  but  her  vain  efforts  made 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL        153 

her  tremble  violently.  The  Hanem-effendi 
saw  her  anguish,  and  calling  on  Allah  to 
help  her,  went  to  her  daughter's  assistance. 
With  a  terrible  and  supreme  effort,  between 
them  they  drew  the  dead  body  to  the 
entrance  of  the  garden.  Out  in  the  soft 
night  air,  under  the  light  of  the  pale 
stars,  stricken  with  the  feeling  of  nature's 
profound  peace,  Emine  leant  her  head 
against  the  wall  of  the  harem  and  burst 
into  a  storm  of  sobs,  which  she  vainly 
tried  to  stifle  by  putting  the  folds  of 
her  cloak  to  her  mouth. 

Her  mother,  without  attempting  to  say 
anything  either  of  reproach  or  consolation, 
sat  in  silence  at  the  feet  of  the  dead, 
sitting  calmly  with  her  garments  gathered 
close  around  her  in  a  state  of  apparent 
stupor. 


154       THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL 

When  their  strength  returned,  they 
dragged  the  body  still  further  into  the 
garden,  under  the  shadow  of  a  jasmine 
tree  in  full  blossom. 

There  they  watched  in  silence  till  daylight 
came,  when  they  saw  that  the  eyes  of  the 
dead  were  still  wide  open  with  a  look  of 
love  in  them,  whilst  the  falling  jasmine 
bloom  had  sown  their  white  flowers  over 
him. 

Then  their  grief  awoke  in  them,  and  their 
piercing  cries  roused  the  sleeping  slaves. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

A  NEW  spring  had  brought  a  soft  joy  to 
the  earth  ;  and  everywhere  the  flowers  were 
opening  in  that  pale  green  land  where  the 
children  and  women  were  picking  them 
with  happy  and  careless  cries. 

Encumbered  with  their  draperies,  which 
they  held  up,  they  ran  hither  and  thither, 
their  dark  eyes  brilliant  with  delight  as  they 
fell  amongst  the  flowers  with  shouts  and 
laughter  in  the  warm  spring  sun  which 
flooded  the  hill  of  Anatolou-Hissar. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this,  Emine  alone 
seemed  indifferent  and  sad. 

155 


156       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HTLL 

For  two  years  she  had  been  married  to 
Noureddin.  He  was  still  in  love  with  her 
beauty  and  charm,  and  surrounded  her  with 
every  care  and  affection ;  but  a  sort  of 
despair  seized  him  on  seeing  her  con- 
stantly plunged  in  sadness  that  nothing 
could  dispel. 

She  loved  him  passionately,  though  never 
forgetting  the  past,  and  felt  that  the  white 
flower  of  her  heart  had  been  watered  with 
the  blood  of  Ibrahim,  and  that  her  exis- 
tence would  always  be  haunted  with  bloody 
visions.  She  was  constantly  seeing  that 
terrible  red  stain  on  the  golden  matting. 

Noureddin  always  hoped  that  time  and 
his  affection  would  efface  that  horrible  re- 
membrance which  was  ruining  the  health  of 
his  wife  and  their  happiness. 

One  evening,  tired  after  a  long  day  spent 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL       157 

with  the  minister  of  war,  he  came  home  by 
the  Last  boat,  and  he  found  her  standing 
and  waiting  for  him,  with  an  attempt  at 
looking  pleased  to  see  him ;  but  her  sad 
eyes  were  a  contradiction  to  the  smile  on 
her  lips,  and  a  sort  of  shyness  was  spring- 
ing up  between  them. 

Another  time  he  came  home  later  than 
usual.  He  had  been  obliged  to  pass 
through  the  Kassem-  pacha  quarter  of 
Stamboul,  and  the  women  in  the  street  had 
shouted  things  after  him,  as  was  their 
custom.  The  women  of  that  quarter  have 
always  had,  and  still  have,  the  right  to 
make  fun  of  people  passing,  and  take  full 
advantage  of  that  unwritten  law  when  they 
see  government  officials — plucking  at  their 
beards  or  clothes,  hustling  them,  telling 
them  home  truths,  and  shouting  out 


158       THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

political  advice  to  them.  What  they  say 
sometimes  proves  their  intelligence,  but 
the  words  they  use  are  often  embarrassing. 

Tired  with  a  long  day,  and  irritated  with 
these  and  other  vexations,  he  remained 
silent  when  his  wife  asked  his  permission 
to  go  and  establish  herself  in  the  summer 
kiosque,  so  that  she  might  often  pray  at 
the  tomb  of  Ibrahim,  who  had  been  buried 
in  the  cemetery  of  the  monastery. 

He  felt  a  spasm  of  jealousy,  but,  uneasy 
at  the  state  of  her  health,  he  gave  her  per- 
mission. He  knew  that  it  would  be 
impossible  for  him  to  accompany  his  wife, 
as  the  preparations  for  the  Turkish  and 
Greek  war  obliged  him  to  go  daily  to  the 
War  Office.  So  to  see  Emine  regularly  he 
would  be  obliged  to  go  up  and  dine  with 
her,  and  then  descend  to  sleep  at  his 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        159 

father-in-law's  house,  so  as  to  be  able  to 
catch  the  first  boat  in  the  morning  for 
Stamboul. 

All  this  worried  him  and  made  him 
anxious,  but  he  would  not  show  it,  and 
gave  his  orders  for  the  moving  and  settling 
of  his  wife  at  the  summer  kiosque.  On  •  her 
arrival,  Emine',  followed  by  her  servants, 
betook  her  towards  the  cemetery. 

She  watched  the  hill-folk  running  past 
on  their  way  to  the  village,  with  their  feet 
bound  with  linen  and  pieces  of  goat  skin, 
hurriedly  choosing  their  way  so  as  not  to 
slip  in  the  descent,  whilst  stones  dislodged 
by  their  hastening  steps  rolled  echoing 
down  the  hill.  These  men,  bent  under  the 
weight  of  their  baskets  of  strawberries, 

o 

which  were  slung  on  long  poles  across  their 
shoulders,  passed  with  their  faces  set  with 


160       THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL 

anxiety  lest  they  should  make  a  false 
step.  Drops  of  sweat  fell  from  them, 
and  shone  for  a  moment  in  the  sun,  and 
then  faded  into  confused  stains  on  the 
stones  which  paved  the  road  to  Anatolou- 
Hissar. 

In  the  cemetery  a  group  of  women  and 
children  sat  amongst  the  tombs,  wearing 
green  or  white  turbans,  and  contemplated 
the  Bosphorus  in  silence.  A  little  further 
off,  in  a  sheltered  corner,  a  few  were 
grouped  round  a  fire  that  they  had  lit  to 
heat  the  food  they  had  brought  with 
them  in  baskets. 

The  daylight  was  waning,  and  the  hour 
was  near  when  shadows  would  lie  on  the 
earth.  The  mothers,  drawing  the  small 
children  to  them,  rocked  them  slowly  in 
their  arms,  so  as  to  carry  them  home 


THE   \VOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        161 

asleep,  and  snug  softly,  with  their  eyes 
fixed  on  the  graves. 

One  of  them,  uncovering  her  breast, 
pressed  an  infant's  face  to  it  who  sucked 
greedily,  whilst  the  mother  smiled  happily 
to  herself  in  the  midst  of  this  empire  of 
the  dead. 

Emine  entered  the  cemetery,  making  a 
sign  to  her  servants  not  to  follow  her,  and 
passing  the  group  of  women,  who  were 
hastening  to  pack  their  baskets  so  that 
they  might  get  home  before  daylight  had 
fled,  gravely  returned  their  salutations. 

With  slow  and  uncertain  steps,  she 
stooped  and  plucked  the  scarlet  poppies 
that  grew  beside  the  graves,  picking  them 
vaguely  to  pieces,  leaving  behind  her  a  trail 
of  scarlet  stains  in  the  pale  green  grass. 

Near  Ibrahim's  grave  dark  cypresses  stood 

11 


162       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

solemn  and  mysterious  in  the  pure  still  air, 
and  a  soft  wave  of  sound  crept  up  from  the 
plain  to  whisper  and  die  at  the  feet  of  the 
dead. 

She  looked  round  her  and  noticed  the 
blood-red  petals  she  had  scattered  in  her 
path.  She  pressed  her  two  hands  to  her 
trembling  heart,  took  a  few  steps  forward 
from  the  shade  of  the  cypresses,  and  was 
suddenly  bathed  in  the  purple  light  of  the 
setting  sun. 

Sinking  on  the  soft  grass,  that  grew  like 
a  shadow  round  the  grave,  she  drew  aside 
her  veil,  and  leaning  her  chin  on  her  hand, 
she  watched  the  sun  sinking  slowly — slowly 
below  the  earth. 

Crying  as  only  women  can  cry  who  have 
suffered  for  a  long  time,  she  let  the  heavy 
tears  fall,  nor  tried  to  wipe  them  away. 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        163 

In  her  grief  she  pretended  not  to  see 
Leila,  who  was  coming  towards  her,  but  the 
courtesan  bent  down,  took  her  hand  and 
kissed  it,  saying,  "  Ah  !  my  gentle  lamb,  do 
not  cry.  Give  your  heart  time  ;  and  courage 
will  come  back.  Rest  your  soul,  which  is 
worn  out  with  tears ;  and  let  me  cover  your 
head  with  some  of  your  cloak,  for  your  sobs 
will  soon  destroy  the  beauty  of  the  silence." 

Both  sat  for  some  time  without  speaking, 
for  silence  unites  spirits  better  than  useless 
words. 

Later,  when  Leila  was  leaving  the 
cemetery  to  sing  her  love  songs  among  the 
ruins,  they  talked  together  simply  and 
familiarly  with  gentle  far-off  voices.  The 
shadows  on  the  ground  rose  and  crept  up  to 
the  heavens,  covering  the  world  in  a  soft 
veil,  pale  and  mysterious. 


164       THE   WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL 

"  In  the  darkness  the  illustrious  strangers 
will  soon  come,"  said  Leila,  gravely,  settling 
lierferadje  round  her  shoulders  and  gliding 
noiselessly  away. 

Moving  with  swift,  silent  steps,  her  face 
shone  with  the  ecstatic  gaze  of  one  who 
knew  she  had  to  fulfil  a  mission.  With  her 
— the  mission  was  love. 

With  her  eyes  seeking  to  penetrate  the 
shadows  that  the  cypress  wood  threw,  she 
fled  with  her  face  slightly  forwards,  whilst 
the  soft  air  felt  like  an  embrace  on  her  fore- 
head and  little  curved  red  lips. 

When  she  reached  the  ruined  wall  she 
crept  upwards  from  stone  to  stone,  till  she 
reached  the  summit,  where  she  stood  erect 
and  silent,  breathless  from  her  haste.  Then 
with  her  pure  calm  voice  she  sang  aloud  her 
oall.  Her  face  uncovered  and  turned  to 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        165 

the  clear  pale  moonlight  that  crept  over  the 
trees,  she  saw  not  far  from  her,  under  the 
shadow  of  a  pine  tree,  a  man  who  really  did 
look  like  one  of  the  illustrious  ones  of  the 
earth. 

Smiling,  she  moved  down  to  the  deep 
shadow,  where  love  could  live  and  die  softly, 
where  no  eyes  could  see. 

"Doubtless  the  gold  which  covers  your 
breast  is  the  sign  of  your  greatness,"  she 
said,  looking  at  Noureddin's  uniform. 

Irritated  at  finding  that  his  wife  had 
gone  the  first  day  of  her  arrival  to  the 
cemetery,  he  had  come  to  seek  her.  With- 
out answering  he  emptied  his  purse  on 
Leila's  knees,  excusing  himself  for  not 
having  more  to  offer  her. 

"  What  women,  then,  have  you  known, 
that  you  are  ignorant  of  the  price  ? "  she 


IGG        THE   WOMAN    OF   THE   HILL 

asked  in  a  dreamy  voice.  "  What  money, 
what  a  sum — praise  be  to  Allah." 

"  For  what  I  have  given  you,  I  am  more 
than  repaid  by  the  pleasure  of  knowing 
you." 

"  Since  you  are  so  rich,  whilst  others  are 
so  poor,  take  all  this  to  the  monastery  that 
you  see  over  there,  and  give  it  to  the  saintly 
dervish  Saadetdin,  who  lives  there.  He  will 
change  the  gold  into  soup  for  those  who  are 
hungry.  For  me,  give  me  one  kiss  with 
your  lips,  scented  like  those  of  a  Sultan,  and 
if  your  love  is  rekindled  at  the  touch  of 
mine,  place  a  silver  coin  on  my  forehead. 
That  will  be  sign  enough  of  your  gratitude." 

Noureddin  still  sat  on  the  grass  near  her, 
nor  did  he  think  of  leaving  her,  for  he 
found  a  great  charm  in  looking  at  the 
wonderful  beauty  of  the  girl,  that  by  the 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL       167 

merest  accident  had  entered  into  bis  life  at 
the  moment  when  he  was  hurt  and  sore  at 
the  coldness  of  his  wife.  Even  if  it  had 
not  been  so  with  him,  he  felt  now  how 
impossible  it  would  be  to  turn  away  from 
her. 

Without  pausing  to  look  into  his  heart, 
he  said  simply,  "  It  is  my  destiny." 

He  rose,  and  kissing  her  gently,  added, 
"  I  will  return  to-morrow,  Leila." 


CHAPTER  XVII 

DURING  the  long  hours  that  Emine*  passed 
in  walking  about  the  immense  domain 
she  often  met  Leila,  and  many  times 
she  had  tried  to  lead  her  to  another 
life.  But  she  remained  firm  to  her  first 
teaching,  and  no  reasoning  or  persuasion 
could  conquer  her  resolution.  Emine  had 
no  longer  the  excuse  of  saying  to  herself 
that  she  hoped  to  convert  her.  And  their 
conversations,  owing  to  Leila's  refusal  to 
change  her  mode  of  life,  became  a  thing 
unheard  of  according  to  the  custom  of  the 
country.  So  she  decided  to  have  one  last 

168 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        169 

interview  with  the  poor  girl  and  to  attempt 
the  impossible,  of  bringing  her  to  what 
she  considered  a  worthy  life.  At  her  first 
words  Leila  turned  proudly  towards  her 
and  said  : 

"You  also,  perhaps,  would  teach  me  to 
read,  that  I  might  be  able  to  repeat  like 
you,  words  that  have  so  often  been  used. 
You  would  bind  my  body  and  my  lips, 
would  deprive  me  of  all  liberty  to  live 
according  to  the  teaching  of  the  earth. 
Love  has  never  been  born  in  your  heart, 
and  perhaps  you  do  not  know  that 
Mahomet  has  said,  'Have  pity  one  for 
another.'  I  know  well,  if  you  and  those 
like*  you  were  courtesans,  only  the  rich 
would  see  the  beauty  of  your  bodies.  Then 
rings  encrusted  with  rubies  that  burn  like 
tigers'  eyes  would  cover  your  hands.  I — 


170       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL 

I  watch  by  night  the  illustrious  passers- 
by  who  look  sad.  I  know  well  that  they 
are  not  illustrious,  but  the  teaching  says 
they  must  be  treated  as  if  they  were,  for  it 
offers  some  consolation  for  their  misery  ;  and 
I  offer  them  my  beauty,  which  is  great." 

Emine  hid  her  face  in  her  thin  trans- 
parent fingers  during  this  speech,  but  when 
Leila  paused  she  said,  "  Alas  !  you  only  fill 
your  mind  with  immodest  ideas.  Do  not 
speak  of  them,  I  beg  you — be  silent." 
Then  she  turned  her  head  wearily  away. 

Leila,  not  understanding  what  was  pass- 
ing in  her  mind,  thought  that  the  interview 
had  lasted  long  enough,  and  was  moving 
away  when  Emine  called  her. 

The  girl  turned  and  spoke  sadly,  yet 
looking  with  tenderness  at  Emiue. 

"  I   am  going — I  am  going,  and  I  shall 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL        171 

never  see  you  again,  for  you  are  ashamed 
of  me,  and  it  hurts  me.  The  grass  already 
grows  as  thick  as  my  hair  on  the  path 
that  leads  from  your  heart  to  mine.  Like 
all  the  rich  ones  of  the  earth,  you  are 
selfish ;  you  will  only  give  your  friend- 
ship on  condition  that  I  think  and  speak 
like  you.  Your  eyes  see  only  evil  things, 
and  you  are  angry  because  mine  look  only 
on  beautiful  ones.  1  love  you,  but — the 
teaching,  is  the  teaching.  You  hold  to 
your  fine  ideas,  and  I  to  mine.  I  bid 
you  farewell,  Emine-hancm." 

She    bent    in    a    profound    bow. 

"  Come  here,"  said  Emine,  in  a  hard  voice. 
"Obey  me." 

Leila  placed  her  bundle  on  the  ground, 
and  came  close,  standing  in  a  respectful 
attitude. 


172        THE  WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL 

Then  Emine,  drawing  her  to  her  side, 
put  her  arm  round  her  neck  and  kissed 
her,  murmuring,  "  My  sister,  my  sister." 

"  I  know,"  said  the  girl,  with  tears  run- 
ning down  her  cheeks,  "  that  you  have  often 
spoken  of  the  remorse  that  I  shall  suffer  for 
not  having  done  what  you  told  me,  but  I 
think  that  is  a  useless  sentiment.  If  ever  I 
may  do  a  bad  action,  I  shall  put  it  behind 
me,  and  occupy  myself  with  good  deeds 
that  I  may  find  the  opportunity  of  doing. 
For  it  is  thus  that  one  really  repairs  one's 
faults,  and  not  by  shutting  oneself  up  and 
counting  the  sighs  of  one's  heart.  Also 
your  knowledge  about  useless  things  like 
the  size  of  the  world  or  the  depths  of  the 
sea,  makes  me  unhappy ;  Whilst  you  know 
so  little  of  life  as  the  earth  gives  it.  You 
know  only  of  the  dead  things  that  are 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL        173 

gone,    not    of    the    living    things    of    the 
present." 

Emine"  wished  to  get  up,  but  kneeling 
before  her,  the  woman  of  the  hill  put  her 
arms  round  her  feet,  holding  her  closely,  and 
saying,  "  Wait ;  there  is  one  thing  that  I 
hide  from  you  ;  my  soul  is  torn  in  two.  For 
some  days  I  believe  I  no  longer  love  all 
men,  but  a  stranger  who  comes  every 
evening  to  pass  an  hour  with  me.  He 
attracts  me  with  the  power  of  a  royal  lion ; 
he  showers  gold  on  me,  and  when  his  lips 
are  pressed  to  mine,  I  feel  ready  to  die  of 
happiness.  His  words  I  do  not  always 
understand,  they  are  too  great  for  me.  I 
have  shown  him  the  sweetness  of  love,  and 
I  fear  I  shall  yield  to  his  prayers.  He  begs 
me  to  live  for  him  only,  in  a  house  he  has 
prepared.  Like  you,  he  wished  to  steal  my 


174       THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

liberty.  See,"  she  added,  taking  a  photo- 
graph from  her  breast,  "  look  how  beautiful 
he  is." 

With  a  sudden  shyness  Emine  placed  the 
picture  on  her  knees  without  looking  at  it, 
and  gazed  out  into  the  skies,  watching  the 
calm  even  flight  of  some  bird  of  prey. 
Presently  she  withdrew  her  eyes,  so  dazzled 
with  the  clear  light  of  the  sky  that,  looking 
down  at  the  photograph,  for  a  moment  or 
two  she  could  see  nothing. 

Then  her  heart  beat  so  violently  that  she 
almost  cried  out  in  pain,  and  the  blood 
rushed  to  her  face,  staining  even  her  eyelids 
crimson.  She  rose  and  stood  for  a  moment 
erect,  with  eyes  that  seemed  already  dead, 
then,  staggering  and  swaying  like  a  cypress 
struck  by  lightning,  she  threw  her  hands 
a,bove  her  head  with  a  gesture  of  absolute 


THE  AVOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        175 

despair   and    started    running    like    a    wild 
animal  through  the  trees. 

O 

She  fled  towards  a  disused  quarry.  Leila 
was  conscious  of  some  invisible  and  terrible 
danger.  In  her  terror  she  looked  at  her 
feet,  expecting  to  see  that  long  thing  which 
you  must  never  call  a  serpent,  for  it  would 
immediately  attack  you.  Soon  she  grew 
calm,  and  understanding  the  fearful  death 
that  awaited  Eniine'  in  the  direction  she  was 
running,  she  gave  utterance  to  the  shrill  cry 
that  shepherds  use  when  they  wish  to  turn  a 
flock,  and  darted  in  pursuit.  She  ran  with 
surprising  quickness  ;  the  light  wind,  beating 
on  her  temples,  seemed  to  dance  round  her 
with  the  madness  of  those  mystic  creatures 
who  whirl  in  the  moonlight.  Her  turban 
unwound  itself  and  floated  out  behind  her 
like  the  green  flames  of  a  torch. 


176       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

In  her  own  way  she  loved  Emine",  and 
wished  to  save  her  life,  for  to  her  life  itself 
seemed  more  beautiful  than  any  of  the 
wonderful  tales  told  by  the  professional 
story-tellers.  Shivering  with  horror  as  she 
ran,  she  knew  that  if  she  could  not  stop 
Emine  in  her  wild  flight  it  would  be  only 
a  dead  inert  body  that  she  would  pick  up, 
its  white  loveliness  torn  and  stained,  with 
broken  bones  and  blood.  Determined  to 
stop  her,  she  saw  her  only  chance  was  to 
jump  a  wall  (that  Emine  was  avoiding  by 
going  round)  and  thus  cut  her  off. 
Crying  aloud,  "  Allah  il  Allah,"  as 
soldiers  do  when  charging,  she  sprang 
into  the  air.  She  fell  into  long  grass, 
and  on  her  face  and  bands  fell  the  dewy 
leaves,  whilst  a  rose  bush  tore  her  skin. 
Rising  with  difficulty,  a  stream  of  blood 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL        177 

ran  down  over  her  eyes,  like  the  soft  rain 
of  April. 

Through  this  she  saw  Emine*  flying 
towards  her,  and  measuring  her  distance 
with  calmness,  she  dashed  at  her,  throw- 
ing her  strong  young  arms  round  her  and 
bearing  her  to  the  ground.  Then,  as  shep- 
herds do  with  unmanageable  animals,  she 
threw  herself  on  her,  weary  and  breathless. 
A  few  yards  off  the  quarry  lay,  wide  open 
to  the  golden  sun. 

Leila  was  suffocating  ;  each  breath  seemed 
to  tear  her  throat.  Hastily  and  with  shak- 
ing hands  she  undid  her  yellow  leather 
stays,  opening  wide  her  soft  gauze  chemise. 
With  quivering  open  lips  and  dilated 
nostrils  she  looked  fixedly  with  staring  eyes 
in  front  of  her,  unconsciously  putting  her 
hand  to  her  face  and  wiping  away  the  blood 

n 


178        THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

that  trickled  clown  her  cheeks.  Her  wound 
was  nothing,  of  that  she  was  sure,  nor  did 
she  give  it  a  thought ;  but  a  dull  anger 
rose  in  her  heart  against  Emine.  She  tried 
to  give  utterance  to  it  in  words  of  an 
educated  person,  but  her  feelings  were  too 
strong  for  her,  and  she  cried  out  fiercely, 
"  Bok !  Bolt !  for  the  Giaours." 

Nothing  could  be  more  coarse  and 
horrible  than  that  expression  that  she  hissed 
out.  She  was  ashamed  of  herself,  but  could 
not  check  her  furious  words,  which  tumbled 
breathlessly  over  one  another  from  her 
parched  lips.  "  You  wished  to  lead  me  to 
what  you  called  good,  whilst  you,  yourself, 
were  ready  to  commit  the  most  abominable 
act.  You  were  ready  to  kill  yourself,  as  the 
Giaours  do  in  their  country.  Begin  by 
leaving  your  own  sins  behind  before  you 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL       179 

meddle  with  mine.  How  miserable  and 
undignified  are  such  violent  deeds — curses 
on  the  writings  of  the  Giaours  who  debase 
the  minds  of  women.  You  wear  dresses 
from  Paris,  but  under  them  your  heart  is 
empty.  Dogs  and  sons  of  dogs,  are  those 
Christians." 

She  knew  a  mass  of  dreadful  expressions, 
but  somehow  at  that  moment  they  failed 
to  rise  to  her  stuttering  lips,  as  also  failed 
her  poetic  ideas ;  and  having  hurled  one 
dreadful  sentence  that  expressed  all  sorts  of 
horrors,  she  was  silent,  hoping  that  once 
and  for  all  she  had  crushed  Christianity. 

Then  she  stood  up  and  looked  at  Emine, 
who  was  crying  silently — hopelessly. 

A  great  pity  and  tenderness  filled  her 
eyes  and  heart  at  the  sight  of  those  tears, 
and  stooping  down,  she  murmured,  "  What 


180       THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL 

is  it,  child  ?  tell  me.  It  is  those  books  that 
you  remember  ? " 

From  the  wound  torn  on  her  forehead  by 
the  wild  rose  bush  the  blood  was  flowing 
in  slow,  heavy  drops.  One  fell  on  her 
yellow  shoe.  She  looked  at  it  for  a  moment 
with  an  expression  of  pain  on  her  face,  and 
said  aloud,  "  Aman  !  I  forgot  to  take  them 
off  before  running — thev  are  ruined."  She 

o  */ 

drew  them  off  and  carefully  wiped  them 
with  a  fine  handkerchief,  with  a  sigh  of 
resignation. 

Emine  looked  up  at  that  moment  and 
recognzied  the  handkerchief  as  one  of  a  set 
her  husband,  lately,  had  had  sent  him  from 
Paris.  She  uttered  a  sad  little  cry  and 
half  rose,  but  Leila  held  her  firmly  by  the 
arm,  saying  solemnly,  "  I  believe  a  European 
devil  has  entered  into  you — perhaps  you 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        181 

would  do  well  to  go  and  purify  yourself  at 
the  tomb  of  the  prophet." 

Emine  remained  silent,  unwilling  to  let 
this  child  of  the  people  see  that  she  was 
the  involuntary  cause  of  her  despair.  Her 
kindness  and  pride  both  revolted  at  what 
would  be  the  act  of  a  vulgar-minded  woman. 
Her  heart  seemed  to  sink  for  ever  within 
her.  She  felt  dried  up,  like  the  bed  of  a 
river  that  an  earthquake  had  emptied, 
and  driven  into  another  channel.  Every- 
thing was  over — she  no  longer  wished  to 
live. 

"Get  on  my  back,  so  that  I  may  carry 
you  towards  your  home,  for  you  are  weak 
as  a  child,"  said  Leila-,  who  was  watching 
her  with  rather  a  farouche  look.  "  For 
the  first  time  I  regret  not  being  rich  ;  for 
if  I  were,  I  would  have  you  followed,  to 


182        THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

find  out  what  is  your  grief,  so  that  I  might 
console  you." 

She  carried  Emine  to  the  turn  of  the 
road,  through  the  darkness,  in  silence, 
when  Hassan-agha  suddenly  appeared 
before  them.  "  God  be  praised,"  he  cried. 
"  Our  glorious  Sultan  Abdul  Ham  id  has 
just  ordered  his  invincible  army  to  march 
against  the  Greeks." 

Leila  placed  Emine  on  the  ground. 
They  looked  in  each  other's  eyes,  and  a 
strong  patriotic  feeling  rose  in  both  their 
hearts,  and  with  one  voice  they  cried  aloud, 
"  Anim  "  (So  be  it). 

Then  in  front  of  them  they  saw 
Mahommed,  pretending  as  usual  to  cut  off 
imaginary  heads  with  a  sword.  The  spirit 
excited  in  him  by  the  warlike  men  of  his 
surroundings  burnt  fiercely  in  his  boyish 


THP]   WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL        183 

eyes,  and  he  whirled  his  little  sword  in  the 
air,  and  the  heads  of  the  narcissi  of  the 
fields  flew  round  him  on  the  ground,  falling 
heavily  like  human  beings  deprived  of  life. 
Hassan -agh a  looked  at  him  with  his  eyes 
full  of  tears,  so  great  was  his  pride  in 
having  brought  him  up.  Turning  towards 
Leila  he  said,  "  Woman,  be  happy,  we  will 
take  your  son  to  the  war." 

Then  she,  proud  as  she  was,  began  to  cry 
before  the  old  shepherd,  who,  as  a  sign  of 
his  pity  for  her,  kissed  her  shoulders. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THEY  were  obliged  to  move  Emine  to  her 
uncle's  house,  for  she  was  ill.  When 
questioned  by  her  mother,  she  replied  that 
she  had  gone  out  in  the  sun  without  an 
umbrella,  and  that  she  must  have  received 
a  slight  stroke.  She  made  up  her  mind  to 
ask  her  uncle's  advice,  but  did  not  allow 
further  questions  to  be  put  to  her. 

When  her  husband,  on  the  point  of 
leaving  for  Thessaly,  and  much  upset  by 
her  appearance,  tried  to  find  out  from  her 
the  cause  of  her  sudden  collapse,  she 
answered  as  she  had  to  her  mother. 

184 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL        185 

She  took  great  trouble  in  directing  the 
slaves  who  were  preparing  the  clothes  and 
the  thousand  and  one  things  which  the 
general  would  want  during  the  campaign. 
Her  mother,  secretly,  was  very  uneasy  about 
her  daughter's  state,  and  noticed  in  her  a 
firmness  and  decision  which  was  new  to  her. 
But  the  anxieties  connected  with  the  harem 
and  the  cares  of  the  property  absorbed  all 
her  powers. 

One  afternoon,  wrapped  in  a  long  trailing 
garment  of  black  embroidered  with  gold, 
and  on  her  forehead  a  heavy  band  of  rubies, 
Emine  waited  for  her  uncle  in  the  great  hall 
of  prayers.  She  had  already  confided  her 
unhappy  secret  to  him.  Obliged  to  go  to 
the  Selamlec,  where  an  envoy  from  the 
Sultan  awaited  him,  he  had  promised  her  to 
return  to  the  harem  as  soon  as  he  was  free. 


186       THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL 

Presently  she  heard  a  light  step  on  the 
white  marble  floor,  which  was  smooth 
and  semi-transparent,  from  age  and  use. 
The  old  man  glided  in  like  an  appari- 
tion from  some  distant  country  that  was 
covered  with  snow.  He  passed  her,  throw- 
ing her  a  look  of  ineffable  tenderness ;  and 

O 

she  followed  him  to  his  room  which  seemed 
full  of  soft  shadows,  and  then  waited  for  him 
to  speak  first. 

"  In  my  heart  beats  the  same  blood  as  in 
yours,  and  your  grief  is  mine,"  he  said, 
gently. 

"  And  yet,"  said  Emine,  in  a  faint  whisper, 
"  Noureddin  loved  me." 

He  turned  away  his  head  so  as  not  to 
see  the  look  of  anguish  in  her  eyes,  in 
which  he  thought  he  already  saw  the 
death  wound. 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        187 

"Do  not  complain,  my  child,"  he  said 
tenderly,  "  do  not  forget  that  you  killed  the 
one  man  who  really  loved  you." 

She  raised  her  head,  her  great  silk 
covering  falling  round  her  like  the  sacred 
carpet  at  the  foot  of  the  prophet's 
tomb.  And  standing  there,  deadly  pale 
in  her  purple  silk,  of  which  the  sheen 
cast  a  red  glow  on  the  whiteness  of  her 
neck,  she  murmured,  covering  her  face 
with  her  almost  transparent  hands,  "  1 
killed  him  to  save  the  man  I  loved,  and 
his  blood  is  on  me." 

Then  suddenly  frightened,  like  a  child 
in  the  dark,  she  cried,  "  My  father — my 
father !  " 

He  put  his  arms  round  her. 

"  I  regret  my  life — I  regret  my  sins," 
she  added. 


188       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

"My  child,"  he  interrupted,  gravely, 
"  regret  is  a  pale  flower,  which  springs  to 
life  only  on  ruins.  You  understand  now 
The  two  men  that  you  have  loved  preferred 
the  children  of  the  people.  The  feminine 
instinct  in  those  women  is  the  sole  guide  of 
their  existence ;  from  that,  perhaps,  comes 
the  indefinable  and  irresistible  charm  which 
captivates  men.  From  over-educating  her- 
self a  woman  loses  her  right,  or  power  to 
compel  love.  I  am  obliged  to  lay  before 
you  the  exact  truth.  Ibrahim  lived  entirely 
for  his  faith,  for  his  sovereign,  and  for  you. 
You  thrust  him  into  the  dim  valleys  of 
death,  which  he  passed  through,  murmuring 
your  name." 

He  paused  for  a  moment,  looking  at  her 
sadly,  tenderly;  and  added,  "Go  as  the 
poor  go,  travel  as  they  travel,  on  a  pil- 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL        189 

grimage  to  Mecca,  and  prostrate  yourself 
at  the  tomb  of  our  sacred  prophet." 

"  Ah  !  spare  me,",  cried  Emine,  overcome 
with  the  horror  of  seeing  with  clear  eyes 
her  irreparable  faults.  "  I  feel  myself 
cursed.  How  could  I  have  ever  dreamt  of 
happiness  without  faith,  or  the  beliefs  of 
my  race  ?" 

She  muttered  a  few  more  broken  words, 
perhaps  expressing  what  was  still  so  dark  a 
stain  at  her  heart. 

"As  expiation  for  your  sins,  I  command 
you,  my  child,  to  go  to  the  tomb  of  the 
prophet ;  there  a  talisman  will  be  given 
you  which  will  render  your  husband 
invincible.  As  the  head  of  your  escort  J 
will  put  the  brother  of  your  victim,  Ali 
Bey,  who  has  already  made  the  pilgrimage 
three  times.  The  warlike  Fatima  and  two 


190       THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

of  your  servants  will  complete  your  guard 
as  women." 

Emine  would  have  spoken,  but  he  said 
kindly  but  firmly,  "  Do  not  speak,  my 
daughter :  learn  to  be  silent,  and  to  accom- 
plish in  silence  the  duties  of  a  good  Musul- 
woman.  Go  to  Mecca,  to  Hedjaz ;  pray 
for  Islam,  for  your  sovereign,  and  for  your 
husband,  who  commands  one  of  his  armies— 
but,  above  all,  pray  for  those  who  suffer— 
for  Musulmen  or  Christians  equally  are 
worthy  of  pity.  If  you  stay  here,  your 
reason  would  suffer.  Here  is  a  letter 
which  you  will  hand  to  the  Cheik 
Sadoullah,  and  he  will  give  you  the  talis- 
man which  will  protect  your  husband." 
Then  he  drew  her  to  him  and  held  her  in 
a  long  embrace  against  his  heart. 

When    she    went    out,    she   turned   and 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        191 

looked  back  at  him  with  tears  streaming 
from  her  eyes  and  falling  on  her  thin 
clasped  hands.  In  her  face,  though  he  said 
nothing,  he  thought  he  saw  a  long — perhaps 
an  eternal,  farewell. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

EMIN£  was  to  start  the  evening  of  the  day 
before  Nourcddin  was  to  leave  for  Thessaly, 

The  Cheik-ul-Islam  had  an  answer  ready 
to  every  objection  that  his  son-in-law  raised 
to  her  going,  though  he  never  revealed  the 
real  reason,  judging  that  it  was  too  serious 
a  moment  to  tell  him  anything  that  might 
distract  his  thoughts  from  his  military 
duties  and  arrangements ;  for  the  war  with 
Greece  had  already  commenced. 

He  only  said  that  his  niece's  health  was 
such  that  a  long  journey  was  necessary  to 
rouse  her  from  her  profound  sadness. 

192 


THE   WOMAN    OF  THE   HILL        193 

There  seemed  to  be  something  evil 
abroad  that  day  in  the  air  ;  the  clouds  were 
low,  yet  flying  grey  and  sullen  like  flocks 
of  frightened  animals,  and  heavy  masses 
of  them  seemed  to  clutch  at  and  hang  on 
the  tops  of  the  tall  cypress  trees.  Trails  of 
creepers,  broken  by  the  wind,  hung  like  torn 
masses  of  women's  hair. 

Emine,  leaving  the  harem,  and  clinging  to 
her  mother,  walked  to  the  great  gate,  where 
AH  Bey  and  his  small  escort  waited  in 
silence  for  her  and  her  suite,  whom  they 
were  to  protect  as  far  as  Mecca. 

"  The  carriages  are  there,  and  we  must 
start  in  spite  of  the  bad  weather,"  Ali 
answered  to  the  somewhat  nervous  ques- 
tions of  one  of  the  slaves. 

Filled  with  a  presentiment  that  her  body 

(that  frail  covering  to  a  brave  soul)  would 

13 


194       THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL 

not  be  able  to  stand  the  fatigues  of  the 
pilgrimage,  Emine  clung  closer  and  closer  to 
her  mother.  Like  a  child  she  murmured 
broken  sentences,to  which  the  Hanem-effendi 
appeared  to  pay  no  attention. 

"  In  a  few  minutes  the  heavens  will  dry 
their  tears.  Take  courage,  my  child,"  she 
said,  as  she  kissed  her  on  the  forehead,  and 
pushed  her  gently  to  the  open  door. 

Then  turning  her  face  to  the  slaves,  who 
were  calling  down  the  blessings  of  Allah  on 
her  daughter,  she  said,  "  Emine'-hancm  was 
the  essence  of  my  heart ;  but  European 
civilization  tore  her  from  ray  influence  to 
make  her  unhappy.  Watch  and  guard  well 
your  children  if  fate  should  send  you  any." 

For  more  than  a  week  Leila  had  wandered 
round  the  house,  trying  to  see  Emine.  She 
had  even  found  the  courage  to  ask  the 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        195 

porter  of  the  gate  to  the  Selamlec  whether 
it  was  true  that  she  was  going  to  Heel j  ax. 

"  Get  out  of  my  sight — dog,  and  daughter 
of  a  dog,"  was  the  answer  hurled  at  her. 
Since  that  moment  she  had  remained 
sitting  on  a  stone,  not  far  from  the  door — 


waiting. 


When  she  saw  Emine"  going  towards  the 
carriage  she  sprang  to  her  feet,  and  turning 
the  palm  of  her  hand  towards  Stamboul,  she 
cried  aloud,  "  Do  not  go.  Stay  here,  near 
us — come  back  with  me  to  the  hill  where 
you  will  know  the  joy  of  life,  where  the  air 
is  scented.  Come  back,  and,  as  before,  our 
hearts  will  meet." 

AH  Bey  thought  she  was  trying  to  insult 
the  niece  of  Cheik-ul-Islam,  and,  scarlet  with 
anger,  he  picked  up  a  stone  and  threw  it  at 
her ;  full  of  shame  that  a  woman  of  that 


196        THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

class  should  dare  to  speak  to  the  lady 
that  he  was  accompanying.  "  Go  away, 
daughter  of  filth — is  it  snowing  on  the 
hill,  that  thus  you  come  to  the  plain?" 
he  cried. 

But  Emine,  laying  her  hand  on  his  arm, 
said  to  him,  "Cease,  keep  silence — she  loves 
me,  and  perhaps  for  the  second  time  would 
save  my  life." 

Now  that  clay  (the  eve  of  Noureddin's 
departure)  there  was  a  feeling  of  a  great 
storm  somewhere  in  the  heavens.  The 
ruins  of  the  great  wall,  where  the  woman 
used  to  sit,  fell  still  further  down,  crashing 
and  echoing  on  the  hills,  and  Leila  was 
seized  with  a  sudden  fear. 

All  the  men,  and  Mahornmed  her  son,  had 
gone  as  volunteers,  without  even  waiting 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL        197 

that  one  of  the  generals  should  tell  them 
what  direction  to  take,  to  reach  Thessaly. 
They  trusted  to  their  instinct  to  lead 
them  to  the  field  of  battle,  and  started 
marchino-  at  dawn,  having  three  times  called 

O  *  O 

the  blessings  of  God  on  their  heads.  They 
passed  proudly  along,  with  their  foreheads 
decorated  with  great  bunches  of  roses.  On 
seeing  Leila  following  them,  and  crying  to 
them  words  of  admiration  and  encourage- 
ment, they  stopped  that  she  might  kiss  their 
hands.  When  she  came  close  to  Mahommed, 
she  held  up  her  head  and  fastened  her  eyes 
on  him  with  an  intense  look  of  motherly 
affection,  and  was  about  to  kiss  him,  but 
one  of  the  men  pushed  her  aside,  saying 
brutally,  "  Woman." 

She    was   seized  with  the  temptation  to 
cry  out  that  she  was  his  mother,  but  the 


198        THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

instinctive  generosity  of  her  nature  softened 
her  anger. 

She  remained  silent,  turning  away  her 
head  to  hide  her  suffering,  for  did  she  not 
belong  to  all  of  them  ? 

From  that  moment  she  wandered  on  the 
hill,  carrying  her  bundle  of  clothes  iii  her 
hands.  The  flocks  of  sheep  were  feeding 
near  where  she  sat,  but  the  shepherd  dared 
not  kiss  her,  for  there  was  a  perpetual  flight 
of  blackbirds  over  their  heads,  which  he 
interpreted  as  an  evil  omen. 

Night  fell  without  her  having  once 
given  her  lesson  of  love,  and .  found  her 
sitting  silently  beneath  a  tree  listening 
to  the  vague  mysterious  whisperings  of 
the  earth. 

Suddenly,  a  long  way  off,  the  sound  of 
a  horse  galloping  on  the  hard  sunburnt 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL       199 

ground  reached  her,  and  grew  nearer  and 
nearer.  With  brilliant  eyes  she  saw 
Noureddiri  dismount,  and  coming  close  to 
her,  he  took  her  in  his  arms. 

It  was  the  last  evening. 

He  held  her  so  close,  that  they  could  hear 
each  other's  heart  beat,  she  crying  and 
stifling  the  pain  in  her  mind  with  the  kisses 
that  he  showered  on  her  lips. 

"  I  implore  you,"  he  said,  "  to  let  me  put 
you  away  from  danger  and  poverty,  in  the 
house  that  I  have  had  prepared  for  you. 
Sleep  on  the  silken  bed  that  awaits  you. 
See,  1  am  leaving  for  the  war,  and  I  love 
you  as  I  have  never  cared  for  anyone." 

She  did  not  answer,  but  taking  him  by 
the  hand  she  led  him  over  the  soft  sweet- 
smelling  grass,  all  bathed  with  the  pale 
light  of  a  young  moon.  The  wild  flowers 


200       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

covered  with  dew  shone  like  silver  under  its 
rays,  as  they  brushed  against  them  in  the 
stillness  of  the  night. 

Then,  with  the  soft  clear  voice  with  which 
she  used  to  extol  the  beauty  of  her  mission 
and  teaching,  she  said,  "  The  joys  that  I  give 
to  mankind  are  not  those  that  require  what 
you  offer  me.  On  God's  own  earth  the 
power  of  love  is  greatest.  My  lips  are  as  a 
well  of  love  to  quench  the  thirst  of  those 
that  pass,  and  my  eyes  are  calm  waters  in 
which  they  think  they  find  the  mystery 
of  life.  I  know  not,  nor  seek  to  know 
whom  you  are.  Whatever  you  may  be  for 
others,  I  only  care  what  you  have  become 
for  me.  That  is  all  that  concerns  me  ;  and 
I  find  you  are  perfect.  I  am  grateful  for 
your  offers,  which  I  do  not  accept.  Go  now 
to  the  war,  as  the  other  men  have  gone,  and 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL       201 

later,  if  I  should  meet  you  again  and  see 
my  face  mirrored  in  your  eyes,  I  shall 
know  that  you  have  not  forgotten  me. 
You  will  find  me  here  waiting  your 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  mountains  in  Thessaly  were  bathed  in 
sunshine  under  a,  clear  dazzling  blue  sky  ;  at 
their  feet,  on  slightly  rising  ground,  in  the 
midst  of  almond  trees  covered  with  their 
white  and  pale  rose-coloured  blossom,  the 
ruins  of  an  old  Greek  convent  stood  like  an 
emblem  of  a  lost  or  forgotten  faith. 

Noureddin  Pacha  and  his  army  were 
encamped  there  since  dawn.  Alone  in  his 
tent,  he  remained  plunged  in  deep  thought. 

Since  the  beginning  of  this  war  against 
the  Greeks  the  ideas  of  the  young  general 
had  become  greatly  modified.  He  no  longer 

202 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL       203 

believed  so  firmly  in  the  infallibility  of  the 
new  principles  he  had  hoped  to  instil  into  his 
country.  The  endurance,  the  simple  gaiety, 
the  profound  belief,  the  resignation,  and  the 
virtue  of  the  men  that  he  had  led  to  fight, 
astonished  him  like  some  revelation  of 
another  age. 

Of  all  the  theories  which  he  had  so  dearly 
bought  at  the  price  of  so  many  efforts  to 
efface  the  first  impression  of  his  Musulman 
education,  little  was  left  to  him,  but  a  con- 
viction that  he  had  wasted  his  time. 

Sitting  on  a  folding  chair  before  a  table 
covered  with  plans  and  maps,  he  looked  out 
through  the  opening  of  his  tent  on  to  the 
delicate  sea  of  almond  blossom  that 
surrounded  the  sad  grey  convent.  He 
was  thinking  of  the  death  of  his  wife 
Enrine. 


204     THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

The  clay  before  a  decisive  battle,  All  Bey 
had  rejoined  him,  telling  him  gently  and 
sadly  of  the  misfortune  that  had  come  to 
him. 

"  She  died  within  sight  of  Mecca,  and  I 
did  my  best  to  lessen  her  sufferings," 
murmured  Ali,  with  his  eyes  on  the  ground, 
that  Noureddin  should  not  see  how  great 
had  been  the  loss  to  him.  "  I  was  alone 
with  her,  and  Cheik  Sadoullah  authorized 
me  to  be  present  at  his  last  interview 
with  her.  Her  two  slaves  and  Fatma 
only  came  near  her  after  her  death. 
She  had  signed  to  them  to  keep  at  some 
distance.  I  bring  to  your  Excellency  the 
talisman  that  Emine-hanem  confided  to  my 
care  for  you." 

Noureddin  looked  at  him  almost  haughtily, 
for  he  thought  he  heard  a  reproach  in  the 


THE   WOMAN  OF  THE   HILL       205 

voice  of  the  young  officer  who  stood  so 
respectfully  before  him. 

"  Thank  you,"  he  said,  slowly,  "  you  will 
remain  attached  to  me  as  aide-de-camp. 
Your  regiment  is  in  my  division.  You 
may  retire." 

The  next  day,  during  the  fighting,  he 
was  calm  and  engrossed  with  the  military 
details  of  the  attack ;  but  when  evening 
came,  and  he  was  alone,  he  seemed  always 
to  hear  the  sad  accents  of  Ali  Bey,  and  with 
deep  sighs  he  acknowledged  in  his  heart  his 
regret  at  having  married  a  woman  who  had 
appealed  to  the  passionate  side  of  his  nature 
only,  and  whom  he  had  so  little  really 
loved. 

With  his  vigorous,  active  nature  and 
mind,  it  was  not  in  him  to  waste  time  for 
long  over  barren  regrets,  but  in  this  case, 


206       THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

when  his  mind  was  not  engrossed  with  affairs 
that  required  his  profound  attention,  he  found 
himself  thinking  often  and  deeply  over  the 
past.  It  was  a  relief  to  the  strain  of  his 
anxiety  and  remembrance,  and  a  very 
distinct  pleasure,  that  he  received  almost 
every  evening  a  visit  from  one  of  his  former 
friends,  a  correspondent  to  a  great  Parisian 
paper,  who  led  him  away  from  his  somewaht 
sad  thoughts.  This  correspondent  com- 
plained bitterly  at  finding  himself  still  in 
Thessaly.  He  missed  the  pleasures  of 
Paris,  and  said  he  found  it  impossible  to 
live  without  the  society  of  pretty  women, 
and  that  for  his  part,  the  war  had  lasted 
quite  long  enough. 

Nouredclin  let  his  e}Te-glass  fall,  and  taking 
a  cigar  from  a  box  half  hidden  in  the  maps 
and  plans  on  the  table,  looked  at  his  friend, 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL       207 

as  if  wondering  what  he  would  think  of 
what  he  was  going  to  say.  He  lit  his  cigar 
carefully  and  said  :  "  My  dear  friend,  the 
pleasures  which  you  speak  of,  would  have 
left  a  distinct  impression  on  my  mind  if  I 
had  not  met  a  wandering  Turkish  woman, 
who  somehow  inspired  me  with  a  great  love. 
Of  that  love  I  am  far  from  being  healed. 
She  told  me  she  loved  me  according  to  her 
teaching,  and  that  teaching  has  seemed  to 
me  so  sweet,  that  life  without  her  has 
become  impossible.  She  is  marvellously 
beautiful." 

The  correspondent  was  immediately  in- 
terested, arid  drew  his  chair  nearer  to  that 
of  the  general,  who  added,  "  I  doubt  whether 
your  demi-mondaines  have  the  power  to  give 
the  complete  joys  of  love." 

l!  Ah  !  really — how  do  you  mean  ?' 


208        THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

Suddenly,  out  in  the  clear  air,  a  voice  sing- 
ing with  its  pure  note,  that  sounded  above 
the  hum  of  the  camp,  rose  up,  saying,  "  You 
that  are  sad,  come  to  me.  You  that  are 
lonely,  I  have  words  that  will  make  you  for- 
get your  loneliness." 

There  was  a  pause,  and  the  voice  died 
away  in  ripples  of  sound.  Noureddin  started 
to  his  fe6t  and  left  the  tent,  saying,  with  a 
voice  harsh  and  unlike  his  own,  to  an 
aide-de-camp,  "  Bring  that  woman  here. 
She  is  perhaps  a  spy.  At  least  make  her 
silent." 


CHAPTER  XXI 

LEILA  came  in  humbly  like  a  child  of  the 
people,  and  bent  to  kiss  Noureddin's  hand, 
but  he  hastily  drew  back.  Out  of  respect 
for  his  rank  and  position  she  ignored  with 
admirable  ease  all  that  he  had  previously 
been  to  her. 

"  I  have  come  to  find  Mahommed,"  she 
said,  with  a  luminous  smile,  "  for  he  has 
not  returned  to  Anatolou-Hissar — and  I  am 
happy  to  look  on  you,  great  Pacha,  of  whose 
brave  deeds  all  the  women  sing  to  their 
children  as  they  rock  them  to  sleep — 
throughout  the  empire  of  Islam.  I  beg  you 

209  14 


210       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

to  give  orders  that  Mahommed  may  be  told 
that  I  have  come  to  know  if  all  is  well  with 
him,  and  whether  he  will  not  return  with 
me  to  the  hills." 

"  Leave  us,"  he  said  in  French  to  the  only 
aide-de-camp  who  was  present,  standing 
immovable  in  the  tent. 

"  How  had  she  reached  Thessaly — who 
had  brought  her — how  was  it  that  she 
remained  as  beautiful  as  ever?  Did  she 
really  come  to  see  Mahommed — or  was  it  to 
see  him,  Noureddin  ?  " 

All  these  questions  he  asked  her,  holding 
her  close  to  him. 

He  kissed  her  eyes  and  lips,  making 
her  promise  that  the  very  next  morning 
she  would  leave  for  Stamboul  under  the 
charge  of  an  escort.  Then  he  was  silent, 
hesitating  to  ask  her  the  one  question 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HTLL       211 

that  had  tormented  him  since  she  had 
arrived. 

"  I  have  come,"  she  said  gently,  looking 
at  him  with  tender  sparkling  eyes,  "  partly 
for  you,  and  partly  for  Mahommed.  I 
thought  that  as  you  were  both  fighting  you 
would  be  together.  I  followed  the  irregular 
troops  who  were  leaving  to  join  your  army. 
Four  days  have  passed  since  I  first  lived 
in  those  ruins,"  pointing  to  the  old  convent 
walls,  "  and,  glory  to  Allah,  you  all  arrived 
this  morning.  Tell  me,  has  Mahommed 
realized  the  hopes  of  those  men  ? " 

She  looked  at  him  anxiously,  for  all  her 
mother's  pride  was  bound  up  in  the  boy's 
warlike  qualities. 

Noureddin,  who,  under  his  appearance  of 
the  Europeanized  Turk,  still  kept  the 
instincts  of  his  race,  for  the  moment  looked 


212       THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

like  a  Calife  who  had  risen  from  the 
grave  to  watch  his  descendants  conquer  the 
Giaours. 

He  dropped  his  eye-glass,  and  in  a  loud 
clear  voice,  with  a  sound  of  triumph  in  it, 
that  stirred  the  very  heart  of  Leila,  said, 
"  Mahommed  fought  like  a  very  lion,  and  it 
is  to  him  that  I  have  confided  the  care  of 
the  flag  of  Islam.  " 

They  looked  at  each  other  in  silence, 
their  hearts  suddenly  swollen  with  a  tumult 
of  patriotic  ardour  for  their  Musulman 
faith. 

Presently  she  said,  "  The  men  told  me 
on  no  account  to  sing,  because  they  said  the 
Pacha  would  put  me  in  prison.  But  a 
secret  voice  said,  '  Sing,  because  you  are  on 
the  ruins  of  a  Christian  temple/  When 
they  brought  me  to  this  tent,  I  recognized 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL       213 

you  at  once,  though  you  have  let  your 
beard  grow ;  but  I  did  not  wish  to  say 
loving  words  to  you,  because  a  Giaour  and 
your  great  men  were  near  you.  You  wish 
me  to  leave  for  Stamboul  with  an  escort, 
doubtless  to  place  me  in  your  house.  The 
rich  man  always  seeks  to  carry  off  the  only 
joys  of  the  poor,"  she  added,  sadly.  "  My 
heart  is  an  open  book  to  you — do  as  you 
wish." 

The  next  morning  from  break  of  day  she 
was  ready  to  start.  No  longer  considering 
herself  free,  she  had  veiled  herself,  that  no 
one  should  see  her  face.  Noureddin  saw 
and  understood  the  action,  and  going  close 
to  her  he  took  her  hand  and  pressed  it  to 
his  lips. 

"There  is  a  great  sadness  at  my  heart," 
she  said,  softly,  "  for  four  months  ago 


214       THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

to-day  I  learnt  of  the  death  of  a  great 
lady — Emine-hanem  ;  she  was  good  to  me, 
and  died  at  Hedjaz.  I  greatly  loved  her, 
and  I  confided  to  her  my  love  for  you.  I 
even  showed  her  your  photograph.  That 
day  she  had  begun  to  be  ill,  and  at  the 
sight  of  it  she  suddenly  became  like  some 
frightened  mad  animal." 

Nonreddin  seized  her  hand,  and  with  a 
trembling  voice  said,  "  Ah,  God — what 
have  you  done — what  have  you  done  ? 
Emine-hanem  was  my  wife." 

She  stood  crushed  under  the  weight  of 
the  fearful  shock. 

At  last  she  saw  all — she  understood  that 
she  had  been  the  involuntary  cause  of 
Emine's  death. 

With  a  slow,  sad  movement  she  pushed 
Noureddin  aside,  saying,  "  You  alone  are 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL       215 

to  blame ;  I  knew  nothing  of  your  life. 
Now,"  she  said,  with  her  voice  ringing 
and  breaking  with  tears  like  a  child's  in 
the  darkness,  "  that  I  know  the  truth,  I 
will  be  nothing  more  to  you  than  I  am 
to  all  men." 

So,  with  no  other  words,  she  left  him, 
walking  through  the  camp,  passing  the  ruins 
of  the  old  convent.  She  recognized  Ali 
Bey,  who  had  thrown  a  stone  at  her  the 
morning  of  fimine's  departure,  and  paused 
and  looked  at  him  ;  but  he,  so  absorbed 
by  his  own  thoughts,  did  not  remember 
her. 

He  was  sitting  in  the  midst  of  a  group 
of  soldiers,  who,  with  attentive  looks,  were 
waiting  to  hear  a  tale.  Ali  Bey,  their 
captain,  was  about  to  tell  them  a  story  for 
the  good  of  their  souls. 


216       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

Overhead  the  almond  trees  were  in  full 
bloom,  and  now  and  then  in  the  soft  gentle 
air,  which  was  almost  a  caress,  the  petals 
fell,  all  rose  and  white. 

Some  of  the  soldiers,  watching  their  fall, 
without  understanding  why  the  sight  of  it 
touched  them,  felt  a  sort  of  tenderness  for 
the  delicacy  and  beauty  of  the  blossom. 
They  did  not  grasp  that  it  was  the  contrast 
of  repose  and  nature  after  the  vivid,  sterner 
moments  they  had  passed  in  the  wild  delight 
of  killing. 

"  Look,  my  lions,"  said  Ali  Be)7,  "  at 
these  beautiful  flowers,  and  your  hearts 
will  open.  Do  you  understand  now  how 
glorious  a  thing  it  is  to  die  for  Islam  ?  It 
is  for  you,  that  God  will  reserve  a  flower- 
strewn  paradise,  where  for  ever  you  will 
live  in  happiness." 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL       217 

All  Bey  was  a  conscientious  officer,  who 
tried  to  accustom  his  men  to  the  thought  of 
death ;  and  he  added,  "  Before  rendering 
your  soul  to  God  you  must  decapitate  at 
least  six  of  your  enemies.  We  gained 
Stamboul  by  blood,  and  we  will  never 
give  it  up  to  Christian  usurpers  who 
defend  only  their  interests,  whilst  we 
defend  our  faith." 

At  these  words  the  soldiers  shouted  as 
with  one  voice,  "  Glory  to  God  ;  may  the 
Sultan  live  a  thousand  years." 

One  of  the  oldest  among  them  said,  "  We 
listen.  You  have  told  us  that  you  have  a 
new  story  to  tell  us  since  your  return  from 
Hcdjaz.  For  four  years,  as  our  captain,  you 
have  told  us  the  story  of  the  Sultana  with 
golden  hair,  and  that  of  the  diamond 
which  encloses  a  hair  from  the  beard  of 


218       THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

Mahomet.  We  are  perfectly  content  with 
those ;  and  do  you  not  think  that  it  would 
be  useless  to  tell  us  another  tale  ? " 

"Asker  (soldier),"  said  Ali  Bey,  "the 
story  I  am  about  to  tell  you  is  a  sacred  one 
and  moves  my  heart.  I  am  going  to  tell 
you  of  a  great  Turkish  lady,  of  blessed 
memory,  who  died  for  her  faith  and  for  the 
love  of  her  country.  She  went,  at  the 
command  of  Cheik-ul-Islam,  to  Hedjaz,  to 
fetch  a  talisman,  and  it  is  thanks  to  that 
talisman  that  Noureddin  Pacha,  our  general, 
has  carried  out  successfully  all  his  victories 
to  which  he  led  us.  Listen  ;  I  will  begin. 
In  sight  of  Mecca,  fimine-hanem  was  no 
longer  strong  enough  to  sit  in  her  saddle. 
A  long  stretch  of  flat  country  covered 
with  mauve  and  silver  thistles  lay  out  before 
us,  reaching  to  the  horizon.  Emine-hanem 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL       219 

was  dying.  I  took  her  in  my  arms,  as  you 
take  a  child,  whose  beautiful  dream  you  do 
not  wish  to  disturb.  I  laid  her  in  the  shade 
of  a  single  olive  tree,  out  of  the  sun,  where 
I  thought  she  would  suffer  less.  Her  body 
was  almost  dead — only  her  soul  was  still 
living.  Her  wonderful  red,  rust-coloured 
hair  hung  in  heavy  masses,  and  some  few 
strands  caught  in  the  bark  of  the  olive  tree, 
which  stood  over  her  so  strong  and  full  of 
life,  throwing  a  grey  shadow  the  better  to 
veil  her  death.  Her  eyelids  were  pale 
and  transparent  like  the  delicate  skin 
of  uewly- hatched  pelicans.  The  gold  in 
her  eyes  shone  through  them,  like  lamps 
behind  thin  silk.  Her  dress  of  violet, 
such  as  only  those  can  wear  who  have 
lived  under  three  sovereigns,  opened 
widely  at  the  breast,  which,  though 


220       THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

thin,  was  still  beautiful  in  its  perfect 
lines." 

"Effendim,"  interrupted  the  oldest  soldier, 
"  why  did  you  not  draw  close  with  decency 
the  robes  of  the  great  lady  ?  " 

The  officer  continued,  without  paying 
attention  to  that  very  just  remark :  "  A 
little  higher  up,  fastened  by  a  yellow  silk 
thread,  was  a  folded  parchment  sewn  in  a 
covering  of  cashmere,  embroidered  with 
diamonds.  Round  her  neck  was  a  gold 
chain,  and  on  it  was  a  long  pointed  bit 
of  amber,  hanging  down  on  her  pale 
breast,  which  seemed  to  her  like  the  weight 
of  some  terrible  dream  of  death.  She 
would  have  pushed  aside  this  weight,  which 
seemed  to  crush  her,  but  instead  of  doing 
so  she  pressed  this  mysterious  stone  deep 
into  her  flesh." 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL       221 

"Effenelim,"  again  interrupted  the  soldier, 
"  this  story  is  on  your  brain,  after  the 
manner  of  the  Giaours,  and  the  body  of 
this  lady  occupies  your  thoughts  more  than 
her  soul  does." 

Ali  Bey  closed  his  eyes,  and  he  grew 
pale,  but  calmly  continued :  "  The  wind 
blew  lightly  round  her,  and  the  heat  of 
the  sun  drew  a  golden  haze  from  the  earth, 
and  at  a  distance  I  sat  and  watched  with- 
out thinking  much  about  her  death,  for  I 
loved  her — not  as  men  love.  When  from  a 
distance  I  had  seen  the  solitary  olive  tree, 
I  had  carried  her  there  to  its  grey  shadow, 
feeling  that  she  could  die  there,  my 
thoughts  going  no  further.  She  was  dying 
from  weakness  and  fatigue,  the  long  journey 
having  killed  her.  Presently  she  said,  '  Is 
the  Cheik  Sadoullah  coming  soon  ? '  To 


222       THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

which  I  answered,  '  Patience,  my  noble 
sister.'  Once  more  she  lifted  her  head 
and  said,  '  Death  has  no  patience ;  look  at 
the  shadow  on  my  face.  Go  on  in  advance 
and  find  the  Cheik,  whom  you  must  bring 
to  me  on  your  horse  ;  for  should  you  try 
to  lift  me  up  and  take  me  there,  I  should 
fall  to  dust.  My  body  has  been  dead  for 
days,  it  is  only  my  soul  that  lives. 
In  the  name  of  Allah,  go  and  fetch 
the  Cheik.  Obey  me,  for  I  will  not 
die  without  fulfilling  my  promise  of 
receiving  the  sacred  amulet,  which  shall 
bring  victory  to  our  armies.  If  you 
refuse  to  obey  my  orders,  you  will  be 
a  traitor  who  deserts  his  God  and  his 
general/ 

"  Then  I  interrupted  her,  asking  whether 
it    was    true    that     she     had     killed     my 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL       223 

brother  Ibrahim  in  the  harem  of  the 
Cheik-ul-Islam. 

"  A  faint  blush  rose  to  her  face,  and 
with  superhuman  energy,  which  had  always 
lifted  her  spirit  above  the  terrors  of  life, 
she  said  to  me  in  a  calm  and  majestic 
voice:  'Yes,  I  killed  your  brother  —  his 
blood  and  brains  stained  my  face  and 
hands.  He  was  a  traitor  who  would  have 
killed  his  general,  but  he  bent  his  head  to 
help  me  in  my  work  of  justice.  If  you 
think  that  your  blood  refuses  to  leave  you 
pure  of  the  same  stain,  and  that  you 
should  desert  the  cause  of  your  chief  and 
of  my  well-loved  husband,  give  me  your 
sword,  that  hangs  at  your  waist,  and  with 
a  hand  that  never  trembles  I  will  kill  you 
also.' 

"  'Machallah  Yarcibi!  (What  God  wishes, 


224       THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

0  Allah  !),  and  you  are  but   a  woman/  I 
cried,    overcome    with    admiration.       '  Oh, 
light  of  my  eyes !  oh,   lioness,  magnificent 
in    your   grandeur — patience  ;  do    not   die, 

1  obey  you  ! ' 

"  I  think  that  for  some  time  she  listened 
to  the  noise  of  my  horse's  feet  as  I  galloped 
towards  the  mosques  of  Mecca. 

"  When  I  returned,  bringing  the  Cheik 
Sadoullah  with  me,  she  was  dying  slowly, 
with  all  the  dignity  worthy  of  the  last 
act  of  her  life.  I  placed  the  Cheik  close 
to  her.  He  held  himself  erect,  wrapped 
in  his  white  woollen  caftans,  soft  and 
beautiful  as  those  that  covered  the  em- 
balmed body  of  our  prophet  Mahomet. 
He  was  very  old  and  nearly  blind. 
Softly  he  passed  his  trembling  hands 
over  Emine"s  face,  saying,  '  Speak,  my 


THE   WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL       225 

child ;    I    know    you,    now    that    I    have 
touched  you.' 

"  Then  with  the  faintest  voice,  like  a 
tired  whisper,  she  said,  '  I  have  been  sent 
by  the  Cheik-ul-Islam,  and  I  bear  with  me 
his  writing,  which  is  addressed  to  you.  It 
is  fastened  to  my  breast,  that  you  see  is 
oppressed  and  damp  with  the  sweat  of 
death.  Thus  my  mission  is  accomplished. 
Waste  not  a  moment  of  this  hour,  but 
write  the  sacred  words  of  this  talisman, 
which  you  alone  know,  and  which  will 
give  victory  to  our  armies.  Give  them  to 
Ali  Bey,  who  is  standing  here  before  my 
death-bed.'  Then  she  turned  her  great 
sad  weary  eyes  to  me,  saying,  '  Ali  Bey, 
captain  of  the  first  regiment,  faithful  to 
your  oath  taken  to  your  sovereign ;  and 

chief,  General  Noureddin  Pacha ;  you,  who 

15 


226       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL 

know  no  weakness,  I  charge  you  bear  to 
my  well-loved  husband  the  words  written 
by  the  Cheik  Sadoullah.' 

"  She  was  ready  now  to  accept  the  death 
that  was  tearing  her  breast ;  she  moved  her 
head  from  side  to  side  without  intermission, 
and  the  rough  thistles  where  she  was  lying- 
pricked  her  cheeks  and  forehead.  '  Cheik 
Sadoullah,'  she  murmured,  '  I  fear  you 
neither  hear  my  tired  breath  nor  the  agony 
that  is  at  my  soul,  which  is  preparing  to 
leave  my  body.  Ah !  how  I  suffer — I 
loved  the  warrior  my  husband — he  let  me 
go  without  regrets,  to  die  far  from  him  like 
worthless  seed  that  the  wind  scatters  over 
the  plains.' 

'"Die  in  peace/  said  the  Cheik,  'the 
sound  of  your  voice  and  what  I  learnt 
by  touching  your  face  have  told  me  all— 


THE   WOMAN   OF   THE   HILL        227 

I  understand  your  soul — you  arc  the  sub- 
lime love  which  men  repulse,  for  they 
cannot  understand  it.' 

"  '  I  die/  she  whispered,  '  on  the  sacred 
earth  of  Hedjaz,  within  sight  of  Mecca,  with- 
out having  heard  the  voice  of  the  muezzin.' 

"  The  Che'ik,  with  his  face  bathed  in 
tears,  turned  towards  Mecca,  and  with  his 
voice  full  of  infinite  tenderness,  sang, 
1  Allah  fikber'  (God  is  great). 

"  At  that  moment  a  smile  of  wonderful 
repose  lit  up  with  marvellous  beauty  the 
face  of  Emine-hanem,  who,  lifting  her  heavy 
eyelids,  gazed  slowly  and  sadly  round  on 
the  earth,  as  one  looks  on  some  beautiful 
ship  that  passes  in  the  night." 

"  Amin,"  said  the  soldiers  quietly,  who 
had  listened  with  respect  to  the  story  of 
the  captain. 


228       THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

"  May  God  have  Emine'-hanem  in  his 
keeping,"  said  the  deep  voice  of  the  oldest 
of  them,  who  looked  at  Ali  Bey  with  a 
glance  of  complete  understanding,  who  still 
trembled  from  the  anguish  at  his  heart. 

The  other  soldiers  remained  with  bent 
heads  waiting  for  permission  to  retire. 


CHAPTER  XXTI 

LEILA,  after  a  long  journey  from  Thessaly, 
full  of  fatigues  and  privations,  sitting  on 
the  ruins  of  her  wall,  was  contemplating 
the  Bosphorus.  Some  evil  breeze  seemed 
to  have  disturbed  the  harmony  of  things. 
No  longer  did  she  see  the  white  sails 
gliding  slowly  past,  no  longer  the  silvery 
tracks  on  the  shadowy  water.  A  thick 
black  smoke  was  issuing  from  a  chimney 
of  some  factory  that  Europeans  had  built 
not  far  from  Anatolon-Hissar.  There  they 
made  some  unguent  which  Leila  did  not 
know  of,  but  which  must  contain  some 

229 


230        THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

valuable  qualities,  for  the  natives  were 
very  busy  packing  and  sending  it  off.  The 
immense  old  house  had  lately  been  burnt 
down  in  a  great  fire  through  the  careless- 
ness of  the  Giaour  workmen,  who  on  the 
Sundays  and  Mondays  strolled  about  the 
country,  leaving  a  disagreeable  odour  of 
wine  behind  them. 

Alas,  the  peace-loving  Turks,  who  were 
accustomed  in  the  evening  to  put  on  their 
loose  white  garments  and  calmly  enjoy  the 
narguile,  and  the  sweetness  of  kief  (rest) 
in  their  gardens  near  the  Bosphorus,  saw 
with  grief  the  thickness  of  the  black 
smoke  which  rose  from  the  factory.  Now 
they  could  no  longer  avoid  the  thousand 
and  one  things  that  came  from  civilization 
and  stained  their  existence ;  and  their  sad 
looks  lost  themselves  on  the  stretch  of  sea 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL       231 

as  the  sun  went  clown  on  the  earth.  Since 
the  arrival  of  the  European  workmen,  an 
arid  look  had  come  to  the  soil,  They  had 
cut  down  the  beautiful  trees  which  for 
a  hundred  years  had  thrown  their  soft 
shade  over  the  village  fountain,  and  the 
children  and  lambs  fled  at  their  approach. 
Leila  thought  over  all  this,  and  her  heart 
sank,  and  her  teaching  and  mission  became 
a  burden  to  her,  for  she  no  longer  dared 
sing  her  call  to  the  passers-by.  Some 
of  the  men  of  the  factory  were  furious  at 
her  refusing  to  speak  to  them,  and  others, 
seein^  her  beautiful  clothes,  had  tried  to 

O  ' 

catch  hold  of  her  to  rob  her  of  what  she 
possessed. 

Pale  with  anger,  she  had  spit  her 
disdain  at  them,  and  taken  refuge  with 
the  dervish  Saadetdin,  who,  seeing  her 


232        THE  WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

so  agitated,  had  said  calmly,  "  Gently, 
gently,  my  daughter,  you  break  the 
harmony  of  our  rest."  Without  finding 
anything  evil  in  her  beauty,  he  did 
not  at  all  encourage  her  to  take  refuge 
with  him,  for  she  forced  him  to  acknow- 
ledge the  presence  of  Europeans,  whom  he 
obstinately  ignored. 

He  was  certainly  affected  by  it,  and 
grew  visibly  thinner,  to  the  despair  of  the 
young  softas  '  (theological  students),  who 
came  every  morning  to  kiss  his  hand  and 
say  respectfully,  "  Glory  to  God,  you  are 
well." 

«. 

These  sudden  arrivals  of  the  woman  of 
the  hill,  when  pursued,  upset  his  exis- 
tence ;  and  the  joys  of  the  quiet  country 
were  broken  by  the  volubility  of  the  girl 
when,  having  escaped  from  the  workmen, 


THE   WOMAN   OF   THE   HILL       233 

she    would    rush    throirgh    his  cherry-trees 
claiming  his  protection. 

The  frightened  birds  and  lambs  lost 
their  confidence  in  the  dervish ;  and  the 
students,  disturbed  in  their  studies,  came 
out  in  groups  on  the  threshold  of  the 
monastery.  One  day  she  became  a  little 
too  affectionate  in  her  manner  to  him. 
Up  till  that  moment  he  had  not  wished 
to  trouble  himself  about  her  morals,  for 
he  had  always  considered  it  useless  to  try 
and  convert  women — for  with  them  no 
one  had  ever  done  more  than  succeed  in 
making  them  hypocritical  —  but  on  this 
occasion  he  favoured  her  with  a  long  and 
edifying  discourse,  saying,  "  It  is  not  that 
you  do  not  strike  me  as  having  all  the 
beauty  that  Allah  has  reserved  for  human 
beings,  but  as  far  as  I  am  concerned  I  was 


234       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

willing,  up  till  now,  to  bring  from  Stamboul 
for  you  pomades  and  paint  necessary  for 
your  body,  for  as  all  the  men  of  the 
neighbourhood  are  at  the  war,  there  was 
no  one  to  do  it  for  you,  and  I  was  ready 
to  render  you  that  service  and  bring  you 
those  things  to  which  you  seem  to  attach 
so  great  importance.  But  if  you  show  a 
want  of  respect  to  me,  I  shall  do  so  no 
more,  for  those  purchases  give  me  con- 
siderable trouble  and  anxiety,  as  I  never 
know  whether  it  is  dark  or  pale  rouge 
that  suits  your  complexion  best.  Besides, 
I  have  told  you  what  I  think  on  that 
subject ;  to  paint  your  face  when  as  beauti- 
ful as  you  are,  is  like  painting  a  rose. 
Your  manner  is  lacking  in  propriety,  and 
if  you  continue  to  try  to  be  more  intimate 
with  me,  I  shall  be  obliged  to  turn  away 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL       235 

from  you,  showing  you  the  shame  of  your 
mode  of  life.  Do  not  oblige  me,  my  child, 
to  reveal  the  evil  to  you,  whilst  you  are 
so  happy  as  to  be  ignorant  of  its  exis- 
tence. Let  each  of  us  stay  in  harmony 
with  the  position  God  has  placed  us  in.  I 
salute  you." 

She  walked  away  dumbfounded,  having 
suddenly  in  her  walk  that  lassitude  which 
weariness  of  heart  sometimes  gives  more 
strongly  than  weariness  of  body. 

The  dervish  looked  after  her  with  a 
heavy  sigh,  noting  the  languor  of  her  walk 
and  the  stoop  of  her  shoulders,  and  he  knew 
that  she  was  suffering  from  some  obscure, 
unhappy  thoughts.  He  called  her  back,  and 
nobly  held  out  his  hand  for  her  to  kiss, 
giving  her  some  small  money. 

"See,"     he     said,     "with     that,     when 


236       THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL 

Mahomraed  comes  back  from  the  war, 
you  can  give  him  something  that  will 
please  him.  You  were  wise  in  letting 
him  remain  ignorant  that  you  were  his 
mother." 

Leila  blushed  and  hung  her  head,  but 
said  quietly :  "It  is  not  that  there  is 
any  harm  in  being  my  son — but  if  he 
knew  it,  he  would  follow  me,  and  he  was 
born  to  learn  how  to  exterminate  the 
enemies  of  the  Sultan." 

"  I  know,  I  know  that  you  love  him  ;  go, 
my  child,  your  soul  is  a  beautiful  one — 
remain  always  as  you  are,  a  good  mother. 
And  now,  should  you  judge  it  wise  to  sing 
your  call  to  those  who  pass  by  on  hills 
that  are  further  off,  I  will  give  you  a  lamb 
to  take  with  you." 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

FOR  a  long  time  she  awaited  the  return  of 
Mahommed  and  the  men;  whilst  at  the 
bottom  of  her  heart  there  lay  always  the 

•/  «/ 

sweet  remembrance  of  Noureddin,  the  hand- 
some and  powerful  general  who  commanded 
one  of  the  armies  of  the  Sultan  with  all  the 
profound  science  of  the  Germans,  and  an 
eye-glass  in  his  eye. 

Towards  evening  she  was  seized  with  a 
fear  of  the  gathering  gloom,  and  with 
hasty  steps  she  approached  the  only  shep- 
herd who  fed  his  flocks  there.  With  a 
large  sheepskin  on  his  shoulders,  he  was 

237 


238       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

whistling  softly  with  a  flute  made  from 
a  reed.  He  knew  three  sad  notes,  which 
he  always  repeated  seven  times  running 
with  a  strange  sort  of  rhythm  and  then 
paused,  beginning  the  sequence  again. 

He  walked,  driving  his  flock  before 
him  from  dawn  to  dusk.  In  their  daily 
meetings  he  had  hardly  ever  spoken  to 
Leila.  He  even  seemed  a  little  afraid  of 
her,  but  occasionally,  out  of  politeness,  he 
asked  her  the  news  of  the  neighbourhood 
and  then  walked  away. 

This  evening  he  came  up  to  her,  and 
without  washing  her  "good  evening,"  said 
rather  severely,  "  Now  that  our  lives  are 
troubled  by  all  these  strangers,  who  work 
here  with  the  help  of  machines,  I  think  we 
would  do  well  to  take  the  boat  to  Stamboul, 
and  from  there  walk  towards  Hedjaz,  where 


THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL       239 

at  least  the  earth  is  unsullied  by  the  touch 
of  Europeans,  who  destroy  our  faith  and 
happiness." 

Seeing  that  she  did  not  answer,  he  tore 
up  a  bunch  of  poppies,  which  he  placed  over 
his  ear,  under  his  fez,  which  was  bound 
with  a  brilliantly-coloured  handkerchief, 
and  added  : 

"  There  you  will  sing  your  call  to  those 
who  pass ;  since  God  has  created  you  for 
that  purpose,  and  I,  at  a  distance  from 
you,  will  occupy  myself  in  looking  after 
the  flocks  on  the  farms." 

Leila  pulled  her  veil  widely  open  to  see 
better  before  her,  for  her  thoughts  travelled 
slowly.  Then  she  asked  :  "  How  shall  we 
find  the  way  to  Hedjaz  \  for  we  should 
have  to  cross  deep  seas  to  get  there. 
When  I  went  to  Thessaly  I  followed  men 


240       THE   WOMAN   OF  THE   HILL 

who  could  read  signs  along  the  roads  ; — but 

O    » 

you  ( 

"  Don't  worry  yourself,  my  girl ;  we  will 
take  care  to  take  our  passage  on  a  Musulman 
boat,  and  they  have  their  prows  always 
towards  Mecca." 

She  threw  some  doubt  on  this,  and  he  said 
angrily,  "Since  when  do  women  interfere 
with  things  that  do  not  concern  them  ? 
Am  I  not  a  man,  who,  according  to  custom, 
walks  ahead,  and  you  a  woman  who  should 
follow?" 

Then,  forgetting  politeness,  he  cried  out  a 
string  of  coarse,  disagreeable  words,  proving 
that  in  his  wandering,  mysterious  life,  good 
manners  had  come  too  late.  Not  being  a 
strong  man,  he  became  breathless,  to  the 
great  confusion  of  Leila,  and  was  obliged  to 
stop  before  he  had  finished  the  period. 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL       241 

She  was  accustomed,  like  all  her  world, 
to  hear  the  oaths  spoken,  with  anger 
certainly,  but  with  a  rhythm  that  formed 
a  sort  of  singing  curse.  So  knowing  it 
by  heart,  she  suddenly  took  up  the  broken 
thread,  and  with  calmness  and  a  certain 
dignity  finished  the  words  that  had  escaped 
Topal  Munir. 

Then  they  started,  she  following  him, 
carrying  her  bundle  and  shoes  in  her 
hand. 

On  the  bridge  of  Galata  those  who  were 
passing  turned  to  examine  their  faces,  on 
which  was  written  the  natural  anxiety  of 
those  who  were  undertaking  a  long  journey 
in  a  country  of  which  they  knew  nothing. 
They  walked  with  a  certain  dignity,  with 
their  eyes  wide  open,  and  determined  not 

to  look  as  though  astonished  at  anything 

16 


242       THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

they  saw ;  when  suddenly  a  quantity  of 
police  arrived  on  the  scene,  pushing  the 
crowd  back  till  it  stood  in  a  thick  mass 
on  either  side  of  the  bridge. 

A  military  band  playing  a  march  soon 
came  in  sight,  followed  by  the  heavy  sound 
of  cavalry,  the  troopers  in  many  cases 
seeming  hardly  able  to  hold  back  their 
horses.  The  dull  rumbling  of  the  trampling 
hoofs  reached  Leila,  who  viewed  the  crowd 
with  astonishment.  There  seemed  to  be 
something  of  the  thrilling,  yet  stifling, 
oppression  of  a  great  funeral  in  the  air; 
and  then  slowly  there  burst  upon  her 
sight,  with  drawn  swords,  the  regiments 
of  Noureddin  Pacha,  their  accoutrements 
flashing  in  the  sun. 

In  a  moment  more  she  recognised  Mahom- 
med,  sitting  stiffly  in  his  saddle,  holding 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL       243 

aloft  an  immense  red  flag,  which  threw  a 
glow  of  colour  on  his  young,  warlike  face. 
Behind  him  came  a  group  of  officers  in 
bright  and  gold-laden  uniforms.  In  their 
eyes  the  fever  of  fighting  still  burnt,  and 
forwards  they  went,  apparently  pushed  by 
the  force  of  the  dense  mass  of  troops  behind 
them.  There  seemed  to  be  no  individual 
— only  a  great  overwhelming  wave  of  the 
spirit  of  war. 

With  her  heart  swollen  with  joy,  Leila 
stood  on  the  tips  of  her  toes,  trying 
to  see  over  the  heads  of  those  in  front 
of  her. 

Then,  on  a  magnificent  horse,  she  saw 
Noureddin  coming  towards  her  with  his 
head  well  up,  and  a  great  look  of 
dignity  and  calmness  on  his  handsome 
face.  His  appearance  dwarfed  all  those 


244       THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

of  his  officers,  who  surrounded  him,  and 
his  impassive  face  gave  him  the  look  of 
one  of  those  chiefs  of  Islam  whom  every- 
one obeyed. 

She  felt  her  whole  soul  go  out  to  him, 
and  their  eyes  met. 

Weak  with  joy,  and  unwilling  to  ask 
for  help  from  the  shepherd,  she  went  up  to 
a  magnificent  old  man,  who  was  calling  the 
blessings  of  Allah  on  the  troops  that  passed. 
Humbly,  yet  with  dignity,  she  asked  for 
a  little  money  that  would  take  her  back  to 
the  hill  of  Anatolou-Hissar,  Then  she  went 
to  the  shepherd  and  said,  "  I  am  going  back 
to  Anatolou-Hissar." 

He  asked  her  no  questions,  and  received 
her  intimation  quietly,  holding  out  his 
hand  for  her  to  kiss,  and  said,  rather 
meaningly,  "  The  tender  and  green  grass 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL       245 

is  already  growing  on  the  grave  of  Emind- 
lianem  ? " 

She  would  not  appear  as  though  astonished 
at  his  knowing  so  much,  and  answered, 
tranquilly,  "  You  speak  the  truth,  my 
father." 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

SHE  disembarked  at  Anatolou  -  Hissar, 
nervous  at  finding  herself,  alone  without 
her  shepherd  friend,  in  the  village,  where 
the  European  workmen  followed  her  with 
looks  full  of  curiosity. 

They  shouted  all  sorts  of  horrible  things 
to  her,  before  everybody,  showing  her  bits 
of  money  that  they  pulled  from  their 
pockets. 

Seeing  that,  the  children  of  the  village 
began  to  run  after  her,  crying,  "  She  is  not 
ashamed — she  is  not  ashamed — she  is  the 
friend  of  the  Giaours." 

246 


THE  WOMAN   OF  THE  HILL       247 

Then,  wild  with  terror,  she  began  running, 
clasping  her  yellow  leather  shoes  to  her 
breast.  Every  minute  she  turned  her  head 
to  see  if  the  workmen  from  the  factory  were 
following,  with  the  children,  in  their  pursuit. 

The  women  of  the  village,  hastily  drawing 
their  veils,  clustered  round  the  fountain 
and  discussed  the  scandal.  The  men, 
coming  out  of  the  cafes,  stared  at  the 
exhausted  woman.  One  child  threw  stones 
at  her,  and  all  shouted,  "  Would  that  Allah 
wTould  tear  out  your  eyes.  Run,  and  may 
your  green  eyes  petrify  as  they  look  on  the 
Christians  to  whom  you  give  yourself." 

The  peaceful  old  priest  came  out  from 
his  little  mosque,  with  its  pointed  minaret, 
and  called  everyone  to  order,  saying 
several  times,  "  This  girl  is  a  creation 
of  God's ;  if  she  exists,  it  is  because  He 


248       THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

finds  her  necessary.  Do  not  interfere  with 
things  you  do  not  understand.  I  am 
ashamed  of  you.  Return  at  once  to  your 

houses." 

Then  seeing  that  the  Musulmen  obeyed 
him,  he  ran  after  Leila,  whom  the  workmen 
no  longer  followed,  for  she  fled  so  swiftly, 

"  My  child — my  child,"  he  cried  after  her, 
"  it  is  I,  the  hodja-efTendi.  I  must  speak 
to  you." 

She  paused  in  her  flight,  with  wide-open 
frightened  eyes,  like  a  startled  fawn. 

"  My  soul,"  he  said,  gently  and  kindly, 
"the  ideas  of  the  village  are  no  longer  the 
same,  the  morals  have  not  the  dignity  and 
bearing  of  old  days.  These  Europeans  who 
work  in  the  factory  have  changed  every- 
thing. You  must  not  come  back  here,  [f 
we  had  been  alone  (between  ourselves),  you 


THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HTLL       249 

might  have  passed  without  our  seeming  to 
know  that  you  were  here,  or  that  we  saw 
you.  But  now  everything  is  changed — I 
am  sorry — but  1  have  nothing  else  to  say 
to  you.  The  Christian  missionaries  think 
that  by  words  alone  they  can  call  such  as 
you  to  a  regular  life.  My  child,  I  do  not 
think  so.  Do  your  best,  and  may  God, 
who  has  created  you,  bless  you.  Doubtless 
some  day  you  will  come  back  to  the  best 
side  of  life." 

He  felt  he  was  about  to  give  advice  un- 
asked, and  thought  that  the  interview  had 
lasted  long  enough.  He  held  out  his  hand 
for  her  to  kiss,  walking  away  with  great 
dignity,  and  shaking  slowly  his  beautiful 
white  turban,  which  he  was  very  proud  of, 
and  entered  the  mosque  with  its  pointed 
minaret. 


250       THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  HILL 

The  next  day  she  climbed  up  and  sat 
on  the  ruined  wall,  like  a  queen  on  a 
throne,  that  her  people  look  up  to.  Then 
wrapping  herself  closely  with  the  silk  that 
floated  round  her,  she  lifted  her  veil,  and 
turned  her  face  to  Noureddin,  who  was 
approaching. 

"  I  was  waiting  for  you,  Pacha,"  she  said, 
"  and  I  agree  to  live  as  you  wish  ;  for  since 
this  factory  has  been  built  here,  by  the 
Giaours,  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  live  as 
the  teaching  enjoins.  The  teaching  is  that 
of  the  earth,  and  of  liberty." 


THE   END. 


WILLIAM    BRENDON    AND    SON,    LTD.,    PRINTERS,    PLYMOUTH 


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